Fools Rush In
by xxAugustaxx
Summary: DJ Story AU Dawson and Joey meet at a bar where harmless flirting escalates to having a one-night stand. And the story doesn't even end there! Based on the movie, 'Fools Rush In'.
1. Ch1

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Fools Rush In

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek. I'm not claiming to own anything here, just borrowing. 

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Author's Note: Ok, Here's the thing; the movie "Fools Rush In" was on TV the other night. And while watching it, I got the idea to write this. So I guess… I just hope you guys like this story. The dialogue isn't going to be word for word, but some of the lines of phrases may be used. But for the most part, the dialogue will be different; plotline…pretty much the same. 

If you wanna get a mental picture of what season Dawson and Joey look like they came from in this story, I guess it's from the fifth or sixth. BUT like I said, this is an alternate universe type fan fiction. There is no back story to them, they just have the same personalities as they would on the show. And instead of having Dawson being a construction worker or whatever Alex Whitman was in the movie, Dawson is; surprise, surprise, involved with a movie. Oh! Um. This story is set in Boston where Joey lives. The movie company Dawson is working for is shooting some scenes for a movie they're doing, that's what brought him there, otherwise, he lives in Los Angeles. Any of this confusing? E-mail me at the address below and I'll try to explain it.

****

Feedback: Yes! I would LOVE feedback. Please send feedback to Naskt8@aol.com. I'd love to hear what your guys think of my new story!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together. 

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction. 

"Alright, I got it," Dawson Leery said, holding his cell phone to his ear. "I just can't wait to be back in L.A., that's all. This place…. Not much goes on here," he said. "It's enough to make you restless at times, I'm not joking, I grew up in a small town like this one." He looked out the window for a place to stop and eat. 

"No right now I'm looking for a place to eat; I'm hungry." He listened to the voice on the other end as he continued to look. Dawson then saw a place ahead that caught his attention.

"Got it. Look, I gotta get something to eat." A pause. "Alright, bye." He turned his phone off as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. He could tell it was packed; but it was a Friday night, so he wasn't exactly surprised. Although he hadn't been in Boston long, the area wasn't exactly new to him. His stomach grumbled as the walked through the restaurant door, the smell of food wafted towards him.

A few hours later, Dawson finished off his second beer, feeling relaxed as he typed away at his laptop. He looked around the restaurant, well it was more like a bar than a restaurant, he said to himself. Dawson wasn't much of a drinker, but sometimes drinking one helped him relax after a weeks work on the set. He looked back down at his laptop deciding he had done enough work for the night. He put the laptop away and looked around the room, watching as other people enjoyed their Friday night. Some louder than others. 

Dawson smiled as the waitress walked over to his table.

"Here ya go Mr." she said as she put the bill on the table.

Dawson smiled at her. "Thank you." She smiled back sweetly before walking away. She couldn't be anymore older than twenty one, Dawson thought. He took the last sip of his beer and looked down at his watch.

"I should be getting back," he said to himself. He was staying in a company place while they shot their new movie in town. Dawson got up and pulled out his wallet, dropping money on the table along with a tip before heading to the bathroom. He groaned as he walked up to the line that was for the bathroom. The payphone was right next to the bathroom, which was an odd place to have one, Dawson thought. 

He walked up, being next in line, feeling lucky he got there before the line grew any longer. As he grew closer and closer o the bathroom, he could hear a voice nearby. He looked and sure enough, there was a woman engaged in a conversation at the payphone. 

"Bessie, it just didn't work out between Eddie and I. We were both heading in two _very_ different directions." She paused. "Well, I'm sorry if I 'broke his heart' but I wasn't ready for that much of a commitment," the woman explained. Dawson knew he should probably stop listening in on her conversation, but he couldn't help it. There was something about her voice that he was attracted to. 

"What do you mean? He _proposed_ Bessie! Of coarse he wanted a long commitment. I knew this would happen you know." Pause. "I can't just be in a relationship with a person. I have the worse possible luck with guys. At this rate, I'll never find my soul-mate!" Another pause. "Ok, look, I'll call you later, alright? I have to go to the bathroom!" she exclaimed. Dawson stepped back, so that he wouldn't be caught listening as the woman hung up the phone. She walked away from the phone and looked at the size of the line. She looked at Dawson, who was next in line, and smiled.

"Hi, excuse me, but I was there," she said sweetly.

Dawson smiled. "Now I know I've had a beer or two, but I could have sworn you were just at the payphone right there," he said as he pointed to the payphone. 

"Nope, you were imagining that. I was in front of you the whole time," she said. Dawson liked her sense of humor.

"Now _that_ I would have remembered," he assured her. She smiled. 

"Please, I really need to pee," she said, pretending to pout. Dawson was lost in her dark brown eyes. She was beautiful. Probably an actress with those looks, he thought. Her hair was shoulder length and was a dark brown. Dawson looked behind him and noticed a long line, including some hefty looking men in the line.

"You realize I could die if I let you cut, right?" he asked. She smiled.

"Don't worry, I pee really fast. I grew up in a B & B that my sister owns," she said. Dawson looked at her and knew he couldn't refuse.

"Alright, fine," he said. 

Joey smiled as she got in front of him. "Thank you!" Someone then made a comment in the back, but there was nothing more said about Dawson letting her cut in front- to his relief. 

"By the way, my name is Joey," she said as she extended her hand.

"Hi, I'm Dawson," he said, taking her hand. He could have sworn he felt sparks as soon as their hands touched. Her hand was so soft… He slowly pulled his had away before his imagination could get the best of him. Sometimes writing scripts had that effect on him. 

"So…" he began, struggling with what to say to her. "You believe in all that 'soul-mate' stuff?"

Joey turned around. "Do you always eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Dawson apologized, knowing he had overstepped his boundaries. 

Joey smiled. "No, it's ok," she assured him. "Yes, I believe that everyone has a soul-mate out there, just waiting for the other person to find them. Don't you?" she asked. Dawson paused, thinking about her question. 

"Mmmm…. I don't know. I mean, I used to," he said. 

"That's too bad," Joey said.

"Oh? Why is that?" he asked.

"Because maybe you and I are soul-mates, and now is the time the fates chose for us to meet" she said, matter of faculty. Dawson was almost rendered speechless.

"And why would the fates choose right now for us to meet, when we could have met in a hundred other places?" he asked. Joey grinned as the person who was using the bathroom before her walked out. 

"So that I wouldn't have to wait in this long line crossing my legs," she said, sticking her tongue out playfully before walking off to the bathroom. 

Dawson just stood there, going over in his head what had just happened.

~*~

Joey woke up some time later on. She was pretty sure it was morning. _Well, the only way to find out is to open your eyes_, she said to herself. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with unfamiliar scenery. Then it all came back to her…

After she had gotten out of the bathroom, she had flirted with that Dawson guy a little more. They sat down at an empty table in the back and chatted for a while; ordering more drinks and flirting to no end. Joey had no idea how long they sat at the table and flirted; could have been minutes, could have been hours, it had been such a blur to her. Next thing she knew, she was following him home in her car. Once they got to his house, the continued to flirt, and touch. One thing led to another…and before she knew it, she was in bed with a stranger! 

__

Good job Joey, look at what you got yourself into! She screamed to herself. She had never done such a stupid thing before. She was always the one to think things to death before acting. There was just something about Dawson, she felt comfortable around him. Which was probably thanks to the drinks she had had earlier…

She looked to the right of her. There was Dawson, sleeping soundly on his stomach; one arm under the pillow while the other was draped over her stomach. _He's pretty cute though, _she said to herself. She lay there for a moment, thinking of what she should do. _Should I write him a letter? 'Dear Dawson, thanks for the spontaneous night of sex. Sorry I didn't catch your last name. _ She sighed in frustration before deciding she just needed to get out of there as soon as possible. 

__

Well, no time like the present! She told herself as carefully moved Dawson's arm off of her, so that she could get up. Clutching the sheet to her naked body, Joey searched for her clothes, hoping Dawson wouldn't wake up. As soon as she was dressed, she left; without so much as a note goodbye…


	2. Ch2

Chapter 2

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Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek. 

****

Author's Note: If you wanna get a mental picture of what season Dawson and Joey look like they came from in this story, I guess it's from the fifth or sixth. BUT like I said, this is an alternate universe type fan fiction. There is no back story to them, they just have the same personalities as they would on the show. And instead of having Dawson being a construction worker or whatever Alex Whitman was in the movie, Dawson is; surprise, surprise, involved with a movie. Oh! Um. This story is set in Boston where Joey lives. The movie company Dawson is working for is shooting some scenes for a movie they're doing, that's what brought him there, otherwise, he lives in Los Angeles. Any of this confusing? E-mail me at the address below and I'll try to explain it.

****

Feedback: Yes! I would LOVE feedback. Please send feedback to Naskt8@aol.com. I'd love to hear what your guys think of my new story!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together. 

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction. 

__

Three Months later…

"How many more minutes?" Joey asked as she paced around the bedroom. Her roommate, Audrey Lidelle, rolled her eyes as she stood in the bathroom. She picked up a small box sitting beside the sink.

"I don't know, shouldn't take more than five minutes," Audrey said, skimming the back of the box. Joey sighed, finally taking a seat on her bed. 

"This isn't happening," Joey said as she buried her face in her hands. Audrey walked out of the bathroom.

"Brace yourself Joey, cause this _is_ happening. I mean, what were you thinking?" she asked. Joey just sat there, unable to answer.

"It's one thing to have a fling, it's another thing entirely to have a fling and be in the predicament your in now," Audrey said. She stopped and noticed her friends expression. She sat down beside Joey, putting her arm around her.

"Joey, you don't even know for sure if your pregnant or not," she said. "I mean, who knows, you may be getting yourself all worked up for nothing." Joey looked up.

"I know I am, Audrey," she said. 

"Well, let's go find out," she suggested as she motioned to the bathroom. Joey nodded. She took a deep breathe before walking into the bathroom. Her entire life was about to change; she knew it, even before picking up the test. Joey just stood there, starring down at the results.

"Well?" Audrey said finally. Joey walked out of the bathroom holding the home pregnancy test in her hand. 

"It's blue; I'm pregnant," she said calmly. Audrey's face dropped, feeling bad for Joey.

"Joey," she said sympathetically. Joey looked up briefly, her lips pressed firmly together, holding back tears. 

"What are you going to do now?" 

"I have to tell him, Audrey," Joey said, knowing it was the right thing to do.

"So your keeping it?" Audrey asked. 

Joey nodded. "As crazy and messed up this situation is, I couldn't possibly get rid of it. I mean, it's not like any of this is the baby's fault," Joey said. She had suspected she was pregnant a week before; she had had time to think about what she would do if it turned out she was.

"Do you want me to go with you? You know, for moral support?" she asked. Joey shook her head.

"I'll be okay. Besides…" she paused. "It's something I've gotta do alone," she told her. 

~*~

__

A few days later…

Dawson sat in his patio, half listening to the actress sitting beside him. He knew she liked him, and her very obvious flirting only further convinced him. 

"Dawson, are you listening?" the actress asked.

"Me? Yeah, yeah I'm listening," he said, probably a little too quickly. Dawson's friend Pacey, who was also an assistant director, smiled knowing Dawson really wasn't listening. He had been sitting there for over an hour, watching a beautiful actress flirt with his friend. 

Finally deciding he had had enough of her ignoring him, Pacey stood up.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to get a refill," he said, walking over to the door. Dawson quickly stood up and stopped Pacey half way through the doorway. 

"Don't leave me alone in here with her," Dawson said in a low voice. 

"Relax man, I'll be right back," he falsely promised.

"No, Pacey don't-" Pacey shut the sliding door, leaving the two alone. He shook his head, unable to believe the past two hours. 

_What if he doesn't remember me? What if he's not home? What if he moved? _Joey thought as she walked up to the front door. The whole ride there, she had been trying to think of what she'd say to him; how to tell him. But one thing she knew for sure; she didn't go there to ask him for any help. She was more than capable of raising her baby alone.

She paused, standing in front of the door. _Maybe this isn't such a good idea, _she said to herself, loosing courage. _No, I need to at least tell him. _She took a deep breath before knocking. A few seconds later, the door opened and a dark haired man- who was definitely not Dawson- stood in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I must have the wrong house," she said as she backed up, looking at the other houses and re-checking the house number. 

"Well wait a second, if your looking for Dawson, he's just inside the house," the man told her. 

Joey paused. "He is?"

The man nodded. "Come on in; I'll go get him." She nodded as she stepped into the house. The man excused himself before disappearing out of the room. Joey stood there, looking around the room as she waited for Dawson. 

A few seconds later, Dawson walked into the room. As soon as he saw her, his face turned to an expression filled with both surprise and shock.

"Joey?" She smiled feeling slightly relieved.

"Good, you remembered."

"Of coarse I remembered; How could I forget," he said, taking in the sight of her. "God, I've been looking everywhere for you. I would have called but…" he paused.

"I'm sorry Dawson, I just… I didn't know what to do," she said. "I woke up, and I just…freaked out. I've never done that before; I've never gone home with a guy I barely knew," she admitted. 

"Jo, you and me both," he assured her, now standing right in front of her. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. There was a pause.

"How long has it-" he began.

"Three months," she said quickly. There was another awkward pause. 

"So um, can I get you something?" he asked as he shot a quick glance towards the patio, silently praying that Pacey would keep the actress busy and that neither of them would come out. He walked over to the fridge.

"I've got...water," he said, realizing he'd have to go to the store and pick up some food. Joey nodded.

"Water's okay," she assured him. Joey looked around the room, realizing it was less bare than it was three months ago- at least what she could remember.

"I like what you've done to the place," she said as he poured her a glass of water. He smiled.

"Yeah, I've had some unusual free time on my hands," he said. "Although as the studio gets further into shooting, I'm sure I'll have less and less time…" he trailed off as he handed her a cup. He couldn't help but stare at her. She was so beautiful. Dawson noticed her hair was up in a pony tail; which was a change from when he had first met her- her hair being down when they had first met. But he liked it. 

"What?" she asked, noticing he was staring. 

"I'm sorry, it's just, you look…amazing," he told her honestly. She looked down, not wanting to give away how hard it was for her to be there. 

Again, she gave him an uneasy smile. "Thanks." She took a quick sip of the water he had given her, in hopes that it would calm her stomach; and her nerves. As crazy as she knew it was, she liked him. She just wasn't sure if she had theses feelings for him because she was carrying his child now, or if it was something else. Joey looked up, taking a deep breath she decided to tell him.

"Look Dawson, the reason I came here today was to tell you that," she paused. Dawson looked at her, a bit concerned. 

"Tell me what?" he asked. "Joey?"

"I'm pregnant." She looked at him, waiting for a response. He took the glass of water from her hands before taking a step back. 

"Y-your pregnant?" he repeated. "Oh, well congratulations," he said, the shock of what she just said still not hitting him. He looked down at the glass of water he has taken from her, as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. For some reason he found himself somewhat disappointed; the thought of her with another guy. 

"Uh...thank; it's yours," she told him. Joey figured he would have put two and two together by now, but apparently not. Dawson quickly put the glass down on the counter. 

"Wait, mine?" he repeated, as if it had just hit him. 

Joey nodded.

"But Jo, we were only together for one night," he reminded her. 

"Yeah, well that's all it took," she said, her gaze down to the floor. Dawson stood there for a second.

Joey sighed. "Dawson, I've thought about this," she began as she walked over towards him, "weighing all the options and scenarios," she paused. "And in the end, there's only one thing I could possibly do." Dawson looked up at her, not knowing what to say to her. 

"I've decided to keep the baby," she told him. "I know it may seem like a crazy idea; I just can't kill an unborn child because we messed up." Dawson stood there, shocked. Ten minutes ago, the only thing he was thinking about was the movie he was involved in, now the only thing on his mind was Joey and the baby growing inside of her; and how much his life was going to change. 

"And I don't want your money," she told him quickly, before he was able to respond. "I just thought coming here and telling you was the right thing to do here."

"No, I'm glad you did…" he said, his thoughts still jumbled. 

"Dawson, I was getting lonely waiting out there; what's taking so-"As if they couldn't have pick a worse time, the actress walked out, Pacey in tow. She stopped as she notice Joey.

Joey looked over at Dawson for a brief second. "I-I'm sorry, I should have called first," she said quickly, feeling humiliated. "I'd better go," she said, grabbing her purse, and heading out the door. Dawson stood there frozen in place as he watched Joey walk out the door. Suddenly Pacey walked over to him.

"Comon man, let's go, huh?" he said, as the actress walked back into the room with her purse. 

"Well I'm ready," she announced bubbly. 

Joey just sat in her car, unable to make herself turn the key and drive off. She felt like such an idiot. Who was that woman? Was she the other guys girlfriend? She laughed to herself. _Of coarse not. I was probably just one of many. _The thought alone hurt her. Before her thoughts could continue on, the front door opened and out came Dawson, the girl, and the man who had answered the door. Joey angrily brushed away a tear before starting the car, and driving off. She didn't want to go back to her apartment yet, so the only other place to go was a park she spent a lot of time in; Franklin Park. 

~*~

"There you are," Dawson said as he walked over to her, finally catching up to her. He had chased her in his car all the way to the park.

"What do you want?" she asked, sitting under a large willow tree. It was dusk outside. 

"What do I want? I-"

"You know what, let's just not do this, okay? Just…go back to your girlfriend," she said. 

"She isn't my girlfriend Joey, I swear," he told her. Joey just sat there in silence, the wind slightly blowing as she looked into the distance. 

"My sister is going to kill me," Joey said finally. Dawson walked over to her and sat down beside her. 

"Your family doesn't know?" he asked. 

Joey shook her head. "No one knows; except my roommate, Audrey." The two sat there in silence for a few minutes. 

"Joey, what can I do? How can I help?" he asked. 

"I'll deal with it, it's okay," she assured him. 

"Jo, I wanna help," he told her honestly. "Please let me help you." Finally, Joey turned towards him. 

"Maybe there's something you could do," she said. "Would you come with me to meet them?" she asked. 

"Your family?"

She nodded. "Just so that after the baby's born, and they ask who the father is I can tell them that they met you once," she explained.

Dawson smiled. "I'd love to. Just tell me when and where and I'll do it." Joey looked up at him and smiled before getting up.

"When." Dawson stood up.

"You mean, right now?" he asked.

"I was already on my way there," she explained. "I was going to stop to your house first and tell you, then head over there."

"Alright then, let's go," he said.


	3. Ch3

Chapter 3

****

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek. 

****

Author's Note: If you wanna get a mental picture of what season Dawson and Joey look like they came from in this story, I guess it's from the fifth or sixth. BUT like I said, this is an alternate universe type fan fiction. There is no back story to them, they just have the same personalities as they would on the show. And instead of having Dawson being a construction worker or whatever Alex Whitman was in the movie, Dawson is; surprise, surprise, involved with a movie. Oh! Um. This story is set in Boston where Joey lives. The movie company Dawson is working for is shooting some scenes for a movie they're doing, that's what brought him there, otherwise, he lives in Los Angeles. Any of this confusing? E-mail me at the address below and I'll try to explain it.

****

Feedback: Yes! I would LOVE feedback. Please send feedback to Naskt8@aol.com. I'd love to hear what your guys think of my new story!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together. 

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction. 

"So let me get this straight, you have dinner with your family every other week?" he asked, a little surprised. The two had decided to take her car, and leave his at the park to go pick up later on.

"Dinner with my sister," she corrected. 

"Why not with your mother and father?" he asked. Joey paused for a second.

"Well, my mother got cancer and died when I was thirteen," she began. Dawson now felt really bad for asking.

"Wow, I'm really sorry I brought it up," he said.

"No, it's okay; really," she assured him. "My father was caught trafficking marijuana after she died, and was put in prison, leaving my older, and back then pregnant, sister to raise me and her unborn child," she finished.

"Wow," was all Dawson could say. "You've really had a rough life, haven't you?" Joey shrugged.

"I guess it could be worse." By the sounds of it, Joey life couldn't get any worse. Compared to Dawson's very normal upbringing, her life sounded like hell compared to his own.

"My mom cheated on my dad with her co-anchor when I was fifteen," Dawson offered. The two laughed.

"Wow, aren't our families dysfunctional," Joey said finally. 

"Yes they are," Dawson agreed. The two fell silent.

"Are you parents….still together?" she asked finally.

Dawson nodded. "They are now. I mean, they got divorced, which didn't last long; they got re-married during my junior year," he explained. Joey nodded.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked, realizing how little she really knew about him.

"Uh, yeah; one. A little sister," he said. "Her name is Lily."

"How old is she?" Joey asked. 

"Seven." Joey nodded, her eyes on the road.

"Do you have any other brothers or sisters except for your sister?" Dawson asked. Joey shook her head.

"Nope. It's just me and Bessie," she said. "Well, and her boyfriend Bodie if you wanna count him," she added quickly.

"How often do you see your family?" she asked.

"Not as much as I'd like to," he admitted. The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, how we going to do this?" Dawson asked.

"Well, I guess we just act like we've been dating for a while," Joey said. "Just don't tell them I picked you up outside the bathroom, okay?" she said smiling. Dawson smiled as well.

"I thought I picked you up," he teased, causing Joey to laugh. Another pause. 

"Okay, so who are you?" he asked, wanting to get all their facts straight before they got there. But for the most part, he just wanted to know more about her.

"Well, I'm sort of an artist," she began. "I like to paint a lot; runs in my family I guess. Um… I grew up in a small town called Capeside, but I've lived in Boston since I was eighteen." 

"Go on," he encouraged, wanting to hear more about her. 

"Well, I've already told you about my dysfunctional family history. My sister's name is Bessie, her boyfriend's name is Bodie. They have a baby together, my nephew. His name is Alexander and he's ten. Bessie and Bodie run a B & B in Capeside, very successful by the way," she added proudly. She continued to tell Dawson about her family the rest of the ride there…

~*~

"So, got any questions?" Joey asked as the two stood on the porch of her sister's B & B. Dawson looked as if he was still computing all the information.

"Uh yeah, actually. What's your last name?" he asked. Joey paused, realizing they didn't even know each other's last names, and here they were, expecting a baby together.

"Potter, Josephine Potter. And your Dawson…" she trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

"Leery," he said. 

Joey smiled. "Dawson Leery," she repeated, trying the name out. 

"Joey Potter," Dawson said, trying the name out as well, as he took a step towards her and extended his hand. 

"Nice to meet you." Their eyes were locked on one another as Dawson held her hand. 

Just then, the front door opened and a woman who looked slightly like Joey walked out.

"Hey Joey," the woman said warmly as she walked over to Joey and hugged her. Dawson smiled, realizing the woman was probably Joey's sister…Bessie was it? He asked himself. Finally Bessie turned her attention to Dawson.

"Oh, this is my sister, Bessie; Bessie, this is Dawson," Joey said, introducing the two. Dawson smiled, extending his hand. 

"Nice to meet you, Dawson," Bessie said as she shook his hand. She looked at Dawson then back over to Joey.

"Ah, why don't we go inside, huh?" Joey suggested, knowing her sister was about to get into the questioning. Bessie looked at the two of them for a second longer before heading inside. 

"Comon," Joey said, reaching down for his hand. The two walked into the house, hand in hand.

"We're here," Joey said as the three of them entered the kitchen. A tall colored man turned around from the counter.

"Hey!" Joey smiled and hugged him. 

"Well, well, who's this; new boyfriend?" Bodie asked.

Joey nodded. "Bodie, this is Dawson, Dawson, this is Bodie- my sister's boyfriend."

"Hey," Dawson said smiling as he shook hands with Bodie. The four of them stood there in silence for a minute or so.

"Wait a second, weren't you and Eddie engaged?" Bodie asked, confused. Joey's eyes went wide.

"Eddie and I? We weren't engaged!" she said quickly. She turned towards Dawson. "I was not engaged," she assured him. 

"I'm sorry Joey, I just can't keep up with you and your boyfriends," he said. Joey rolled her yes.

"Bodie, I'm not a teenager," she told him. 

Deciding to change the subject, Dawson spoke up. "Can I help out with anything?" he asked.

Bessie shook her head. "Bodie's got it under control. Comon, let's go wait out back, huh?" she said. Joey nodded and headed towards the back, wanting to get Dawson away from Bodie before he said anything else. 

Once they reached the backyard, the three were greeted by Joey's nephew, Alexander.

"Is dinner ready yet?" he asked Bessie. She shook her head.

"Not yet. 'Bout twenty more minutes," she told him. The young boy grumbled. Dawson smiled.

"Hey there, Alexander," Joey said.

"Hi Aunt Joey," he said. 

"Alex, this is," she paused for a second, looking over at Dawson wondering if she should call him her boyfriend or not; if she'd confuse Alexander by saying so. "Dawson." 

"Hey Alex, nice to meet you," Dawson said.

"You too," he said. He stood there for a few more seconds before going back to what he was doing before; kicking a ball around the yard.

"So…how'd you two meet?" Bessie asked finally as the three of them sat down at a table in the back. Joey looks over at Dawson and smiles, as she tells Bessie of "how they met."

Dawson sat at the table with Bessie, watching Joey and Bodie play some sort of a tag game with Alexander; laughing and running around. Dawson smiled as he watched Joey laugh, running away from her nephew. He sat there wondering what they're child would look like and which one the baby would act more like. 

"Alexander waits everyday for Bodie to get home so that they can go play outside," Bessie said, snapping Dawson out of his thoughts.

"Wow," Dawson said as he looked back at the three, then turning his attention back to Bessie.

"Yeah, he and Bodie are really close; I mean, I'm sure most fathers and sons are, but…" she trailed off. Dawson smiled, listening to Bessie talk about her family. 

"He's a handful, Alexander is, and having him so young was hard but I sit here now and…I couldn't imagine my life without him. Without either of them," she said, smiling as she watched Bodie on the ground, tickling Alexander.

She looked back at Dawson and smiled. "You'll know what I'm talking about when you have a person in your life that surprises you everyday; and a child you love with all your heart. Once you become a parent, your life seems to have so much more meaning than before," she told him. Dawson almost choked at the last part, quickly looking behind him at Joey, who was now making her way back to the table. 

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked curiously as she sat down beside him.

"Parenting," Bessie said, smiling. Joey looked over at Dawson worriedly, wondering if he had said anything to Bessie. 

"Oh," she said, trying to keep her composure. She looked back over at her sister, realizing if he had said anything, Bessie would have already asked her about it. A few minutes later, Bodie made his way back over to the table, carrying Alexander over his shoulder.

"Alright, what do you say we start picking up," he said as he set the boy down. "Alex, why don't you help your mom grab the mustard, ketchup, and stuff like that," he said, grabbing the hotdog and hamburger buns.

Joey smiled as she got up and began picking up the trash on the table. Dawson got up and began to help her as Bessie, Bodie and Alex went inside to put stuff away. 

"So, the night went well, right?" she asked, looking up at him.

"It wasn't so bad," Dawson said. Joey smiled. The two stood there, looking at one another for what seemed like hours. All the attraction and heat that was between the two that night three months ago seemed to be restored. Dawson walked over to her, pulling her into his arms as he lowered his head to her. Joey swore she felt a bolt of electricity flow through her as their lips touched. God how he had missed her. He was disappointed to find her gone the next morning after their night of bliss. Suddenly as if realizing what hey we're doing-or fear of being caught- Joey pulled away and looked up at him.

"I.." before he could say anything Joey walked away from him, distancing herself from him. A few seconds later, Bodie and Bessie came back out to help finish picking up. Joey forced a smile so that her sister wouldn't catch on.

"Well thanks you guys for stopping over," Bessie said.

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you," Bodie said, extending his hand. Dawson turned towards Joey, who was hugging her sister.

Joey and Dawson were walking in silence towards the car when suddenly someone appeared out of no where. Well, Dawson wouldn't know where the man came from because he was so deep in thought about having kissed Joey earlier.

Joey stopped dead in her tracks. "Eddie," she said. Dawson frowned knowing he had heard that name from somewhere. Then it hit him, that night at the bar when Dawson had overheard her talking to her sister, she had mentioned a guy named 'Eddie.'

"Hey," Eddie said. He then looked over at Dawson.

"Oh uh, Dawson this is Eddie; Eddie, this is Dawson," she said, introducing the two of them- as much as she didn't want to. The two men stood, looking at one another. Joey suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Sorry, not to be rude, but how do you know Joey?" Eddie asked. Dawson looked over at Joey, his expression asking, 'What do you want me to say?' Joey decided it was a good idea to intervene. 

"Dawson's my boyfriend," she told him, reaching down for Dawson's hand for emphasis. Eddie looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Why, do you have a problem with that?" she asked. The three of them just stood there for a few seconds. 

"Hey man, how's it going," Eddie said, extending his hand. Dawson hesitated for a second before shaking the man's hand. A part of him was jealous that the man in front of him knew Joey before he did, and for a longer amount of time. 

"A free word of advice; Don't let her get away, there's no one else in the world like Joey," he said, looking back at Joey. Dawson smiled, not knowing what else to do. He didn't really 'have' her; the two weren't even technically dating.

"Um, well, it was nice to see you again Eddie. I'm sorry we couldn't talk longer, but we've gotta be getting back," she explained, tugging Dawson's hand towards the direction of her car. 

"It was nice meeting you," Dawson said as the two walked towards the car. Eddie just stood there for a second and watched them before walking off.

~*~

Dawson was quiet the ride back to Boston. Bessie's words kept going through his head, _Once you become a parent, your life seems to have so much more meaning than before. _He looked over at Joey, who had her eyes glued to the road. He knew it couldn't have been easy on her, lying to her family, not to mention seeing her ex before they could leave. 

"Joey I-" he began, wanting to say something to her to make her feel better.

"Don't," she said quietly, still looking out towards the road. "Please just…don't." Dawson sat there and looked at her, not ready to give up just yet.

"Joey, I want to help you. Why can't you just let me help you?" he asked, not understanding why she wouldn't let him help her.

"It'll be easier this way," she explained as they neared the park. 

"At least let me give you a number so you can reach me," Dawson said. Joey shook her head without even thinking about it, knowing if she let herself think about that possibility she'd accept his offer. 

"I don't want a number, Dawson. I can handle this; it's better this way," she said once more, to both herself and to Dawson. Dawson took a deep breath and sat back in the seat, not knowing what else to do. Maybe it was better this way, he thought to himself. They didn't really know much about one another accept for the attraction they both felt for one another. 

Soon Joey's car pulled up at the park. The two we're just as silent as they had been an hour or so ago, neither knowing what else to say. 

"So, uh, I guess this is it," Dawson said as Joey pulled up beside his car. Joey nodded, slowly turning her attention towards him.

"Yeah," she said, her voice almost a whisper. Dawson sat there for a few more seconds, trying to think of something else to say to her.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said. Joey gave him a small smile, touched by the concern in his voice.

"You too," she said. Dawson nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. He then reached over and opened the door, casting one last look at her before getting out. Slowly, he walked over to his car, his mind racing wondering if he had made the right choice; letting her go. He stood there and watched as Joey put her car in reverse and began to drive away. His mind began to race, thinking about how he'd go on with his life, knowing Joey was out there, with his child. He knew he would always wonder what they we're doing, what his child looked like, thinking about how much his child had grown as the years went on, how they were… Dawson realized he couldn't let her walk out of his life again. Quickly acting on his feelings, Dawson walked out in front of her car. 

Joey quickly stopped the car, coming a few feet away from hitting him. She cursed under her breath, not believing he had walked out in front of her car. She opened the door, and got out.

"Dawson, what the hell are you doing?" she asked. Dawson began towards her. 

"I can't let you leave," he said, now standing in front of her.

Joey quickly shook her head. "No, don't do this. Get out of the-"

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not going to let you walk out of my life again, Joey. There's go to be some way for us to do this." 

"There isn't. I've thought about this from every angle and-"

"And you couldn't see the two of us raising this child together would work?" he asked. 

"Dawson, we hardly know anything about one another," she began.

"So we get to know each other," he said. Joey was about to respond when Dawson continued. "Look, I know we don't know a whole lot about each other, but it's not like we can't get to know one another. There's something between us Joey, I know it, or else how could that have happened between us three months ago?" he asked. Joey stood there in silence, listening to him; her guard slowly lowering as he went on. To further prove his point, Dawson took another step towards her and lowered his head. The electricity that flowed through that kiss was enough to leave Joey breathless. 

"I know there's something between us and I'm not about to walk away from this, regretting what could have been if I hadn't let you leave. I know your scared, so aren't I. But we can do this together; just let me help you," she said. Joey looked up at him, wanting so badly for him to help her. 

"So what are you saying we should do here?" she asked, her voice a little above a whisper. 

Dawson grinned. "I think we should get married."


	4. Ch4

Chapter 4

****

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek. 

****

Author's Note: Thisis an alternate universe type fan fiction. There is no back story to them, they just have the same personalities as they would on the show. And instead of having Dawson being a construction worker or whatever Alex Whitman was in the movie, Dawson is; surprise, surprise, involved with a movie. Oh! Um. This story is set in Boston where Joey lives. The movie company Dawson is working for is shooting some scenes for a movie they're doing, that's what brought him there, otherwise, he lives in Los Angeles. Any of this confusing? E-mail me at the address below and I'll try to explain it.

****

Feedback: Yes! I would LOVE feedback. Please send feedback to Naskt8@aol.com. I'd love to hear what your guys think of my new story!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together. 

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction. 

Joey sat nervously the whole plane ride to Las Vegas, constantly having second thoughts about agreeing with Dawson to do this. Getting married. _Wasn't I just down this road not more than a few months ago with Eddie? _She asked herself. That was one of the reasons why the two of them had broken up. She didn't even want to begin to think about what Bessie and Bodie would say when this was all said and done. She thought back to a few hours ago in the park…

__

"I think we should get married," Dawson said. Joey was sure she'd die from shock, hearing those words. 

"Dawson are you crazy?! We barely know each other!" she said. 

"So?" 

"So… Besides, I have work! I can't just not show up," she protested.

"Call in or take a few 'personal days,'" he said. Joey paused, actually letting the idea run through her head. 

"This is crazy. Eloping to Vegas to get married in one of those tacky little churches," she said. Dawson smiled.

"A church is a church. Besides…" he paused. "It's not like I can't afford to fly us there." He paused, knowing by the look on her face, Joey was actually thinking about it. She should have said no right there. She should have gone with her original plan. 

"I mean, c'mon, you at least like me, right?" he asked. Joey looked at him and grinned. She definitely liked him. She knew then and there she couldn't say no to him…

"Ready?" Dawson asked as they got out of the rental car and were now standing in front of 'The Little Vegas Wedding Chapel.' Joey stood there for a few minutes, just looking at the building and it's bright sign and lights covering it. All she had to do to get out of all this was to simply tell him 'no.' Joey took a deep breath, looking over at Dawson.

"As I'll ever be." Dawson gave her a small smile, reaching down for her hand as the two walked up the cemented path leading to the front door. Dawson looked over at Joey, sensing her worry.

"It's all going to be alright. Don't worry," he said as they walked into the building.

Dawson felt as if it was all a dream. The whole day had felt like that, ever since Joey had entered it again. A few hours ago, he was having a meeting with an actress. In the past twelve hours he had learned he was going to be a father, and now he was getting married. He wished his parents could be here for it, but there wasn't any time. _Besides, maybe in a few years if things between Joey and I progress, we could get re-married and have family members attend that one. _Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a priest, wearing the same clothes he had dressed into that morning, waiting for Joey to walk down the isle. Dawson stood there, as nervous as Joey was, waiting for her to walk down the isle. As if feeling her presence, he looked up to see her shyly walking down the isle. One look at her beauty and Dawson grinned; forgetting he had been nervous. 

Joey gave him a small smile as she stood in front of him, holding a bouquet of flowers. She still couldn't believe she was there, in Vegas, getting married. She looked up at him and their gazes locked. 

The ceremony went by so fast. Before she knew it, she was saying 'I Do' to Dawson and he was slipping a ring they had bought there on her finger. She paused for a split second when the minister announced them husband and wife, then telling Dawson to kiss 'the bride.' Joey's stomach fluttered when Dawson captured her lips on his, even if the kiss itself wasn't long. Dawson smiled down at her as their kiss ended. It was done; they we're married. Husband and Wife. Dawson took her hand in his and the two walked down the isle. They still had papers to sign before they could leave. Joey glanced over at Dawson before signing her name under his. 

"Well, it's official," she said as the two headed out of the building. Dawson walked in silence for a few seconds, looking over at her.

"Do you have any regrets?" he asked. Joey thought about it for a second. 

"I dunno, I guess I had always imagined getting married in a church-a real one- with my friends and family there, and me wearing a gown and all that stuff," she explained. 

"I'm sorry Joey, I know everything rushed and all-" Dawson began. Joey shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she assured him, smiling. The two walked towards the rental car in silence. 

"So…Where are we headed?" she asked as she got into the car, Dawson mirroring her on the other side of the car. 

"Uh, I guess now we're checking in at a motel," Dawson said. Joey grinned as he started up the car.

"Promise?" she said, teasingly. Dawson smiled and reached over for her hand as the two drove off. 

A little while later, after Joey had convinced him to stop at a clothes store so she could pick up a few outfits, Dawson was able to find a nice looking motel. He looked over at Joey as they walked in. Feeling the urge to touch her, Dawson reached for her hand free hand, her other one carrying the bad of clothes they had picked up earlier. Joey looked over at him and smiled, feeling less nervous as she had been earlier in the evening. 

"Hi, we'd like to rent a room for the night please," Dawson said to the receptionist. 

The receptionist began typing on the computer. "Alright, what type of a room would you like?" she asked. Dawson looked over at Joey who just smiled.

"Um.. Do you have a honeymoon suite available?" he asked, looking back over at Joey in case she wasn't comfortable with the idea. Instead, Joey just raised a brow, and grinned. 

The receptionist punched a few more keys. "We do. Would you like me to book the two of you one?" she asked. 

"We would. Thank you," he said, still holding Joey's hand. He gave her hand a loving squeeze as they waited.

"Alright here you go sir, have a great evening," the woman said as she handed him the room key. Dawson smiled.

"Thank you." The two headed to their room, which was located on the third floor, number sixty-seven. 

"Here we are," Dawson said when they located their room. 

"I wonder how big the room is," she said. 

Dawson smiled. "Let's find out." He took the key out and unlocked the door. Joey was about to walk in when he stopped her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he bent down and suddenly lifted her up causing her squeal in surprise. 

"Carrying you thought the threshold," he explained as he carried her into the room, Joey laughing the whole way in. He swung her so that she could kick the door closed. 

"You can put me down now," she assured him, both now laughing. Dawson carefully lowered her down to the ground. She smiled as she smoothed her skirt out. She looked up, her eyes gazing around the room. 

"Wow," she said, as she walked further into their room. "This is…. Amazing," she said. 

"Yeah. It is," he agreed. The two walked into the bedroom, both curious about what it would look like. As they entered the room, they we're greeted with a huge king sized bed and an amazing view outside on the balcony the room included. Joey was amazed, she had stayed at a hotel or two in her life, whenever she had to fly out of town, but she had never stayed in one so beautiful.

"So uh… how do you want to do this?" Dawson asked, pulling her wandering mind back to where they we're. 

"Hmm?" She turned around to face him. 

"You wanna change first or?" he asked. Joey thought back to the pajamas she had bought and grinned. While Dawson was picking up a pair of pajamas for himself, Joey had bought silk made, dark purple pajamas. She wondered how he's react. 

"Alright, I'll be right back," she said as she grabbed the bag containing her nightgown and headed to the bathroom. Dawson sighed as he plopped down on the king size bed, thinking of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. there he was, married. He wondered how his parents would take the news; he could see it now…_Hey, Mom and Dad, you'll never believe it, I'm married. _He shook his head and laughed to himself. Dawson then thought of Joey and suddenly he was smiling. She was unlike any woman he had ever met.

As if on cue, he heard a click and the bathroom door slowly opened, revealing Joey in a very attractive silk nightgown. Dawson sat up.

"Hey," he said, unable to stop his eyes from wandering over her. Joey's hair was no longer pulled back he quickly observed.

"Hi," she said softly. Dawson stood up, and walked over to her. "You look… amazing." 

Joey blushed. "Thank you." The two stood there for a second. 

"You know, I can always sleep on the floor," Dawson began. "I mean-" he was cut off by Joey's lips pressed on his own. Dawson's hand went the back of her head, tangled up in her long brown hair; Joey's hands on the back of Dawson's neck as their kiss intensified. Joey then jumped onto his arms, a leg on each side of him as he held onto her, as they stumbled over to the bed still kissing. The two fell onto the bed, Dawson on top of Joey; her hands now raking through his hair; all the passion and heat from before coming back as they continued to kiss. Dawson trailed kisses down her neck, past her breasts and paused as he looked down at her stomach. A tiny person was growing inside there; his child. The thought alone overwhelmed him. He put his hand over Joey's still flat stomach before leaning over to kiss it. Already he loved the child growing inside of her. Dawson then looked up at Joey, smiling. She returned his smile as he began kissing her on the lips once more.

Dawson woke up the next morning, the sunlight shining through the windows. He smiled, his eyes still closed as he reached on the other side of the bed for Joey. He quickly opened his eyes when all he was greeted with was an empty side of the bed. Sitting up, Dawson hoped Joey hadn't gotten scared and left him…again. He reached down on his side of the bed and threw on his boxers, looking around the room. His gaze stopped when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Joey standing on the balcony. He grinned as he walked over to her.

Joey stood hugging herself, looking out at all the different buildings as the morning sun shone. The wind was blowing a little, but not much, causing Joey to pull her robe a little tighter around her. She had never been to Las Vegas, never really had a reason to until now. Just then, a pair of strong arms circled around her, pulling her close to a firm body. She smiled as she let Dawson put his arms around her, resting her hand on his arm as well. The two just stood there for a few minutes in silence, enjoying each others company.

"I woke up and you we're gone. I was kinda having flashbacks there for a few minutes," he admitted. Joey smiled as she turned her head towards him.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," she assured him as she reached up and gave him a kiss. Dawson smiled and gave her a loving squeeze as the two continued standing there.

"We should probably go back today," Joey said after a few minutes as she began to play with the fabric of his sleeve. 

"Yeah," he agreed, knowing they both had to get back to work, and back to their lives. 

"So much for the 'honeymoon,'" Joey said, only half joking. Dawson smiled as he lowered his head.

"We still have the rest of the day," he whispered into her ear as he began to nibble that area. Joey grinned as she turned around to face him, his arms still around her a they began kissing. _I could get used to this_, Joey thought to herself as the two somehow made their way back into the room.

A few hours later, the two we're seated side-by-side on a plane, on their way back to Boston. It didn't take them too long to pack since they didn't bring anything and the only possessions they had we're the ones they had bought the day before. Joey looked over at Dawson and smiled. He returned her smile, reaching down for her hand as the plane flew high in the skies. 

"I'm glad we did this," Joey admitted. Dawson smiled upon hearing her say that. He had been worried maybe she had regrets about going to Vegas, getting married, what had happened the night before and that very same morning…

"Me too," he agreed. "Now all we gotta do is tell our families that we eloped," Dawson said.

"And that there's already a baby on the way," she added. He squeezed her hand lovingly as the two sat in silence, basking in happiness. After a few minutes, Dawson decided to bring up what had been on his mind since they had visited Capeside.

"Hey Jo?"

"Yeah?"

"The guy we ran into a few days ago, Eddie? We're you two…engaged?" he asked, the though made him jealous, and also a little worried if she had been when they had slept together the first time.

"Eddie and I we're definitely at that point," she began. "He asked me and I told him that I couldn't." Joey laughed. "Honestly, I couldn't picture myself married to him. We've known each other for years, but as far as being married to him…"

"But you could see yourself married to me; someone you haven't even know that long?" he asked, almost afraid of her answer. 

Joey paused for a second. "Dawson, it's not about how long you've known someone, it's about finding the right person," she paused. "And knowing when you've found them," she said, smiling at the end. Dawson grinned, realizing what she was saying. 

Then suddenly the flight attendants voice echoed over the speakers on the plane announcing they we're to land on Boston in a half hour.

"Well, we're almost at the end of our little get away," Dawson said. 

Joey smiled, leaning forward to give him a long kiss. "But we're just starting our _adventure_." Dawson grinned, liking the sound of that as he leaned forward for another kiss.


	5. Ch5

Chapter 5

****

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note: Thisis an alternate universe type fan fiction. There is no back story to them, they just have the same personalities as they would on the show. And instead of having Dawson being a construction worker or whatever Alex Whitman was in the movie, Dawson is; surprise, surprise, involved with a movie. Oh! Um. This story is set in Boston where Joey lives. The movie company Dawson is working for is shooting some scenes for a movie they're doing, that's what brought him there, otherwise, he lives in Los Angeles. Any of this confusing? E-mail me at the address below and I'll try to explain it.

****

Feedback: Yes! I would LOVE feedback. Please send feedback to Naskt8aol.com. I'd love to hear what your guys think of my new story!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

Dawson sighed as he pulled up to the lot where they we're shooting their film. He and Joey had only returned the day before and already they we're back to work. They had decided Joey was going to move in with him since her tiny apartment just wouldn't do. After work they we're going to head over and continue to pack up her stuff. He was sure she had already began since he had left there yesterday.

As Dawson got out of the car, he was greeted by a very ticked off looking Pacey. He sighed once more, knowing he was about to get an earful. He had totally blown off Natasha the other night, leaving Pacey to deal with her.

"Well, well ,well, look who's back," Pacey began.

"Pace," Dawson warned as he shut the car door, "it couldn't have been avoided," he said as the two began towards the studios.

"No way man, your not getting off that easily," Pacey said. "Who is she?" he asked. Pacey continued before Dawson could respond, "I was on my way to your kitchen when I hear this knock on your door, I open it and on the other side stands Jessica Rabbit- only much more attractive." Dawson stops at the vending machine to grab a water.

"Then next thing I know your running off on _me_, your best friend, and the lovely Natasha to go on a date with her."

"And I'm sure you hated being left alone with her," Dawson said as he pulled a dollar out of his wallet and fed it into the machine. Pacey just stood there, giving him a look.

"Okay, first of all, her name is Joey-not that you care, and two, it wasn't exactly…a date," he told him. "Me and dating don't exactly connect, okay? The girl is usually out to get a headshot instead of actually being interested in _me_. So in my opinion, dating sucks."

"Whoa, Dawson buddy, enough with the details," Pacey said sarcastically. "That doesn't tell me much."

Dawson rolled his eyes as he continued on his way to the studio, his drink on his hand. Before he could tell Pacey about he and Joey getting married, his secretary Andie, stuck her head out of the office door.

"Dawson, you've got a call on line one," she announced. "Some girl who says she's your wife? Wanted to remind you to sing by to finish packing after work" she says, confused. Dawson smiled at the thought of Joey.

"Tell her to call me back!" Dawson said, knowing as much as he wanted to talk to her, he didn't have time at the moment. Andie looked at him, a little stunned, for a second.

"Uh… okay," she said before popping back in.

Pacey's jaw dropped. "You married her!?" he asked. "The one with the body and the legs?!" Dawson smiled, holding up his hand to show the ring that he now wore.

"Wait a second, your married?! Does my life mean nothing to you? Do you know mow may of these actresses come in pairs of two!" _That's Pacey, always thinking about the women, _Dawson thought.

"Pacey, it's going to be okay," Dawson assured him as he walked inside the building, Pacey closely behind.

"No, it is not going to be okay! I mean, what we're you thinking?" he continued on. "This makes absolutely no sense. Why would you marry this woman unless… unless you knocked her up or something," he said. Dawson looked up.

"Oh god, you knocked her up!" Pacey exclaimed. A few of the production assistants that we're walking by stopped in their tracks. Dawson felt his face warm with embarrassment.

"Thank you Pacey," he said, making his way to his office. "And for your information, that had nothing to do with her and I getting married," he told him.

"Look, buddy, I don't wanna burst this blissful bubble of yours that you've got going, but do you even know if it's yours?" he asked. "She could be this woman you slept with months ago, she goes out, gets knocked up buy someone else after you two.." he trailed off as the two walked into Dawson's office, "and before you know it, she's at your doorstep telling you it's _yours_ just so that she can get your money. I mean, have you even asked for a blood test or something like that? To see if it's really yours?"

"Pace, trust me, it's not like that. You don't know her," he said, defending Joey.

"Neither do you!" Dawson leaned over his desk and grabbed a folder of papers for the set, before heading back out.

"Look, as much as this is, we've got a long day of filming ahead of us," Dawson told him as they walked back out of his office.

"Have you done the whole, 'Meeting the family' thing?" Pacey asked, not able to move onto another topic.

"Yup. Last night before we decided to elope."

"Okay, so when do I get to officially meet your _wife_, huh?" he asked. Dawson grinned, knowing Pacey was going to ask.

"Next week. We're having a little housewarming thing at my house," he explained.

"How sweet," Pacey said flatly.

"Her roommate's coming up," Dawson told him. "And she's very much a female roommate," he added.

Pacey's ears perked up. "Now why didn't you say that in the first place man! I'd love to come to your housewarming party!" He put his arm around Dawson's shoulder, grinning. Dawson just rolled his eyes as the two walked to the set.

__

A Week Later…

"I just couldn't believe her, Audrey!" Joey said as she fished up tossing the salad. The boys we're outback cooking the hamburgers.

"Well can you blame her? I mean, Joey; you had a one night stand with some guy you met at a bar, got pregnant then eloped to Vegas to marry the guy."

"Well it's not like _she _did any better. She had Alexander at about the same age as I am," she protested.

"That's just it, Jo; maybe she's worried about you following her footsteps; maybe she wants better for you," Audrey said, causing Joey to think. Just then, Dawson and Pacey entered the house with the rest of the food.

"Hello my husband," Joey said lovingly as he walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hello my wife," Dawson said, her voice just as warm and loving as hers. The two stood there for a second, looking at one another.

"Nice place, Dawson. Did you decorate yourself?" Audrey asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"Yes Audrey, I realize it's a little…bare," he agreed.

"It won't be once I get in here with some paint cans," Joey said as she brought the bowl of salad over to the table.

Dawson laughed. "It's only for the next four months."

"Then what? You turn back into a frog?" Joey joked.

"No, we finish production then move back to L.A," he explained.

"We what?" Joey asked, knowing she must have heard wrong.

"We move back to…L.A. Joey, I'm sorry, I thought you knew I didn't live here." Audrey and Pacey both looked at one another sensing an argument about to happen and decided to sit down at the table.

"No, I thought you lived here," she said.

"Well I don't. I live in L.A. Pacey and I are out here for filming," Dawson explained.

Audrey looked over at Pacey. "You live in L.A. too?" Pacey nodded.

"Damnitt," she muttered. Ignoring Audrey and Pacey, Dawson and Joey continued.

"Well I live here, and I like it here. Dawson, you can't raise a baby in L.A." she said.

"Joey, millions of people do it all the time. I mean, have you ever been there?" he asked.

Joey paused for a second. "No."

"Well then there you go," he said. Joey paused, thinking of a counter argument.

"Well, you said yourself you grew up close by here- or a town like this. What's wrong with staying here?" she asked as she walked over to the table and sat down, Dawson following.

"Jo, my work is in L.A. My _life _is in that city," he explained, sitting down beside her.

"Well I like it here, I mean Dawson; _my_ life is _here_. My work is here, my family is here. I can't leave it all and move to L.A." The room fell silent.

"Now see, this is the kind of thing that's talked about in the second date; it's not meant to be discussed married and with a baby on the way. Pacey grinned and nodded in agreement while Joey and Dawson shot a look at their friends.


	6. Ch6

Chapter 6

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Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note: Yay! I finally got off my butt and watched a little more of the movie!! For those of you who've seen this movie will instantly pick up on a few lines that we're cut. I personally think that if I we're to have written them in this story, they wouldn't have served much justice since Joey has no other siblings besides Bessie, who serves more as a mother than a sister. And just the rest of the scenes. So I decided to start it off where it would make the most sense to for this story. This chapter takes place a few weeks after the last part.

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

"So Bessie and Bodie know all about Dawson and I getting married, -and about the baby," Joey continued, stabbing a piece of tomato in her salad that came with her lunch. She and Audrey had been talking all morning, catching up on the past few weeks, and what had been going on with her and Dawson.

"Wow, how'd they take it?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know; Bessie's kinda disappointed," Joey began. "I mean, I don't understand why she's so upset! She got pregnant with Alex when she was around my age!" she protested.

"Yeah, but Joey; did you ever think that maybe that's _why _she's disappointed?" Audrey said. "Maybe she wanted to see you do better; to learn from her mistakes." Joey sat there and thought about it for a second.

"I guess that could be it. I just wish she'd be happy for me is all," Joey said.

"Bunny, I'm sure she's happy for you. But at the same time, I'm sure she's also worried for you," Audrey said. "How'd Bodie take it?"

"He was pretty neutral about it, actually. He was a little hurt that Dawson and I eloped, but overall he's just happy for me," Joey explained. Audrey nodded.

"How about Dawson's parents. How'd that go?" she asked.

"Oh, he went the other day, but he said they went to Florida for the summer," Joey explained.

"Joey, it's April," Audrey reminded her.

"I know, he said that they like to get there early," she explained.

"Whatever," Audrey said, her thoughts wandering as she took a bite of her pizza. Joey rolled her eyes and in return, took a bite of her own food.

"Dawson and I still haven't settled on a name," Joey said, sitting starting on another topic. "Hence the baby name book." She held up the book beside her that she had been glimpsing through all morning.

"I see. Well it's still a little early to decide, I mean you have quite a few months to decide on one," Audrey reminded her. Joey sighed, flipping another page filled with baby names after she had skimmed through it.

"By the way, what are you going to do about _your _name?" Audrey asked, taking a bite of her pizza. "Joey Potter, Joey Leery, or are you going to be all fancy and hyphenate it and be Joey Potter-Leery?" she asked.

Joey paused, and tried out each name in her head once more.

"I think I'm going to go with Mrs. Dawson Leery," she said proudly, putting down the baby book.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Okay then."

"Excuse me," a blond woman said from behind them. Both Joey and Audrey turned towards the blond at the table behind them, who excused herself from the people she was dining with before bringing her attention back to Joey and Audrey.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but did you say Dawson Leery?" she asked.

"Mm Hmm," Joey nodded.

"Dawson Leery from L.A?" the woman asked. Joey looked over at Audrey, unsure of what to make of the woman.

"I believe he's from L.A. yeah," she said.

"Late twenties, about six foot tall, blond hair, blue eyes, loves to talk about movies?" Jen guessed. Joey smiled as the description fit him to a T.

"Yup, that's him," Joey laughed. Jen paused for a second, causing Joey to feel uncomfortable, and worried.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Jen Lindley," she said as she extended her hand. "Dawson and I old friends; our families are very close," she explained.

"Oh, your kidding!" Joey said excitedly. "Oh that's great!" she said, still shaking her hand. "I really don't know any of Dawson's friends. I'm so glad to meet you." Joey then stopped shaking Jen's hand.

"I'm Joey, and this is Audrey. She was my roommate before I met Dawson," she explained.

"Hi," Audrey said flatly, sensing something about Jen; something she didn't like.

"Well I've missed Dawson the last couple of trips down here. It's too bad; he's always so busy," Jen said. She paused. "Not to be rude, but how do you know Dawson?" she asked.

"I'm his wife," she said. Jen's jaw dropped.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Married?" she repeated.

Joey laughed. Yeah, Dawson and I; we're married," she explained. Jen just looked at her shocked.

"And," Audrey said, finally speaking up, feeling the need to further rub it in the woman's face. "They've already got a baby on the way." If it we're possible, Jen's expression grew more shocked than before.

"A baby. Really? Oh," Jen said, obviously surprised and clearly speechless. Audrey sat there, mimicking Jen while eating her food. "Well…congratulations."

"Thank you," Joey said, smiling

"Wow, isn't this a surprise," Jen said, still shocked by the news.

"Hey Jo?" Dawson called out as he walked through the kitchen, into the living room; holding a baby book Joey had picked up a few days ago. "I'm confused! If babies can only see in black and white, the how come that Barney guy is purple?" he asked.

"Dinosaurs come later, Dawson," Joey laughed as she continued cleaning. Today she had her hair up in a ponytail since she had been cleaning all morning. She wore a pair of shorts and an old oversized t-shirt. Dawson continued looking at the book as he took a seat in the chair closest to where she was cleaning.

"Don't sit there!" she said quickly, causing Dawson to jump right back up. "I'm doing the floors next," she explained.

"Again? You did the floors what, two days ago?" he said in disbelief.

"Mm hmm."

"Oh, I read about this," Dawson said as he he opened the book back up and began looking through it. "This is the uh, nesting period; isn't it?"

"It must be, because I just can't get anything clean around here," Joey explained, walking over to the chair and picking something off of it before heading towards another place in the house. Dawson smiled and grabbed her wrist softly, pulling her back towards him. She smiled as she reached up and kissed him; her arms wrapped around him. A few minutes later, her hands traveled to his pants; Joey quickly trying to unbutton them.

"What about your cleaning?" Dawson mocked, his pants now down to his ankles. Joey smiled at him.

"It can wait," she assured him as she continued kissing him. Before things could really heat up, the doorbell rang. Dawson and Joey broke apart. Joey groaned in frustration.

"Hold that thought; I'll be right back," Dawson assured her before leaving the room, attempting to pull his pants back up in the process. The doorbell rang once more.

"Coming!" he said, quickly trying to button his pants. Finally, he opened the door, shocked to find who was on the other side.

"Surprise! Hi honey!" Gale Leery said, hugging his quickly.

"Mom? Dad? W-what are you-" Dawson began, surprised they we're there; at his doorstep. He closed the door half way, in hopes they he could get rid of them before Joey realized who they we're.

"This was your mother's idea," Mitch Leery explained, "I told her to call first, but…" he trailed off.

"Nonsense," Gale said, waving her hand. "I ran into Jen the other day and she _insisted_ we comedown here and see what you've been up to."

"She practically insisted!" Mitch added.

"Honey? Do you know what she was talking about?" Gale asked.

"Dawson, who is it?" Joey called from inside of the house, not standing in total vide of his parents.

"I got it hon.." he trailed off silently as he closed the door all the way. He didn't want his parents to find out about Joey or the baby like this, although he felt terrible about lying to her a while back.

"Now _that _is what I call a housekeeper," Mitch commented, trying to sneak another peek of Joey through the window beside the door. Gale swatted Mitch on the arm before turning her attention back to their son.

"Honey, did we come at a bad time?" she asked.

"No. No, it's just that she's cleaning the oven and the fumes…" he trailed off. Mitch and Gale both laughed.

"Wow, you're here. Your really here," he said, making a mental note to kill Jen next time he saw her.

Before either Mitch or Gale could respond, Joey opened the door and stood in the doorway, next to Dawson.

"Hi," she said, not quite sure who the two people we're standing in front of her.

"Hello," Gale said, just as unsure of who she was. Dawson just stood there, unsure what he was going to do next. He had a feeling, no he knew; he was going to be caught on his lie.

"Dawson, aren't you going to introduce us?" Gale asked.

"O-of coarse," Dawson said. Joey smiled, standing up a little straighter so she didn't look like a total slob.

"This is um, uh…" Dawson paused, his gaze going from Joey to his parents.

"Joey," she finished for him, hurt and anger showing in her expression.

"Joey. Joey; right," Dawson said. Joey just stood there feeling hurt and humiliated that he paused, trying to remember her name. Or he pretended he didn't reember. Either way, she was hurt.

"Hi Joey; it's nice to meet you. I'm Dawson's mother, Mrs. Leery," Gale said. "This is Mr. Leery," she said, motioning to Mitch, who smiled at Joey.

"Ohmigosh, you're his parents!" Joey exclaimed. "Oh my god, lok at me; I-I'm such a mess," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm so glad to meet you!" she said, hugging Gale then Mich. "Please, come in!" she said, grabbing Mitch's hand and dragging him inside.

"You must be exhausted. Did you guys just get in?" she asked, thinking they had just gotten back from Florida.

"Uh, yup," Mitch said, slightly confused but went with it.

"Would you like something to drink?" Joey asked just as Dawson wedged between his parents, and whisking Joey away from his parents.

"Joey, that is a great idea," he said. "Why don't you get the drinks?" he suggested. "I love you," he whispered.

"Okay," she whispered back, before heading towards the kitchen.

"And I'll… think of something," he mumbled under his breath. Joey then rushed back into the room.

"Who wants a cold beer?" she asked.

"Sure," Gale said.

"I'd love one," Mitch said. Joey smiled as she grabbed Dawson and spun him around as she made her way back to the kitchen.

"Don't you dare tell them, anything until I get back," she whispered before disappearing into the kitchen. Dawson's face fell, feeling guilty about lying to his parents when she told hers.

"Dawson, she is wonderful!" Mitch said, still thinking Joey was a housekeeper.

"Mom. Dad. Why don't you sit down?" he suggested.

"Honey, is there something wrong?" Gale asked as she and Mitch walked over to the couch. Dawson quickly looked over in the direction of the kitchen, then back t his parents.

"Yes. I have to.." he paused for a second, unable to come out and tell them, "Tell Joey where the bottle opener is," he lied as he began towards the kitchen just as Joey came out.

"So how was Florida?" she asked as she walked over to his parents, and handed them their drinks.

"Florida?" Gale repeated.

"Dawson said you were gone for the summer," Joey explained as she walked back over to Dawson and rubbed his back lovingly.

"Florida," Mitch laughed, "Dawson you know we don't go to Florida in the summer. Too many tourists." Joey stopped rubbing Dawson's back.

"You lied to me," she said under her breath, unable to believe he had lied to her. "All this time you were lying."

"Jo, I-" Dawson began. Joey held her hand out, not wanting to hear his excuse; especially in front of his parents.

"Don't," she said before heading up the stairs, into the bedroom; the door slamming behind her. Dawson stood there for a second, his hands on his hips. Finally he sighed, looking up at his parents.

"I'm sorry but would you excuse me for a second. I just…" he trailed off before going up the stairs, feeling awful for lying to Joey.

When he opens the bedroom door he finds Joey sitting on the side of the bed, looking down at her lap.

"Joey, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell them," he explained.

"When Dawson, after the baby was born?" she said, raising her voice.

"I didn't- I didn't want to do it over the phone," he explained. Joey got up from the bed and took a few steps towards him.

"Dawson, my sister won't eve talk to me she's so disappointed. But I did it; I told her," she began. "But you. You don't even have the balls to pick up the phone and just let them know about what's been going on!" she said, her voice filled with anger.

"What is it, Dawson; you want out? Is that what this is all about?" she asked, half afraid of what his answer would be.

"Of coarse not," he assured her, waling over to her. "Look, my family isn't like yours, okay? I never talk to them, I never see them, and I sure as hell don't have dinner with them every week," he said.

"Great, more excuses," Joey threw her hands up in the air. "You know what, you should have told them!" she shouted.

"I wanted to do it in person. Why is that so hard for you to understand?" he asked, his tone a lot lower than hers had been. Joey looked up at him, up in his eyes for what seemed hours before walking past him. Dawson turned around, waiting to see what she was going to do.

"Well, here's you big chance, Dawson," Joey said as she opened the bedroom door. Dawson stood there for a second, knowing she was right.

"Alright, c'mon," he said as the two walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, hand in hand.

"Mom. Dad. I have some surprising, yet exciting news," he began. Mitch and Gale looked at the couple confused. Dawson looked over at Joey and smiled.

"I'd like you to meet Josephine Potter….Leery," he explained.

The room went silent.


	7. Ch7

Chapter 7

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Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note: This will be a short chapter, so in advance… I get out of school in 4 more days, so after that, I'll be cranking out chapters faster- I hope. LOL. To Cevec: Your such a sweetheart! Thank you and I'm glad you enjoy my stories!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

Dawson tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, looking up into the rear view mirror at his parents before returning his gaze back to the road. A few seconds later, he looked over at Joey and smiled, knowing she felt a little uncomfortable with the dead silence in the car. He reached over and took her hand in his and squeezed it lovingly, reassuring her it was okay, while returning his attention once more to the road. They we're headed back to Capeside. He remembered back to the day before; when he had told his parents about Joey, and the baby they had on the way.

__

The day before..

Dawson and Joey stood there, waiting for his parents to say something. Anything. Just as long as the silence that had swallowed the room ended.

"Well, uh, we're also going to have a baby," Dawson added. Now his parent's officially looked shocked.

Finally, Gale spoke up. "I-I don't know what to say," Gale confessed. "Mitch?" Dawson's father sat there for a second, obviously trying to process the news.

"Dawson, was this what Jen was talking about or is there something else we should know about?" she asked.

"No. No, that's…that's about it," he assured them. "Look, I know it's a bit of a shock, but it's happening, so…" he trailed off.

"Dawson, why didn't you tell us sooner? About this. All of it?" Mitch asked, finally speaking up. Dawson looked over at Joey, then back at his parents.

"Well…" he began. Sensing he needed help, Joey decided to take over; not wanting him to look bad in front of his parents despite yelling at him only a few moments beforehand.

"We we're planning on it. Really soon. We've just been so busy," she began. "Actually, Dawson had suggested to me just the other day that maybe we fly out to L.A. to tell you guys the news."

"You couldn't have at least told us about the wedding?" Mitch asked.

"Well it was just so sudden," Dawson said quickly, not wanting to tell his parents that they had decided to elope so quickly because she was pregnant as a result of a one night stand and that really, they know her for as long as they had assumed.

"It was just kind of a 'spur of the moment thing'. My family wasn't even there," Joey added.

The room fell silent once more.

"How far along are you?" Gale asked curiously.

"Almost four months," Joey answered. Gale nodded, looking over at her husband.

"Well kids, the both of you are kinda young to be settling down and having kids at 24," he began, "But it sounds like, the two of you know what your doing," he said, more hesitant at the end.

"Joey, where do your parents live?" Gale asked.

"My sister and her boyfriend live in Capeside," she explained. Gale and Mitch looked confused, but decided it was another discussion to get into later on.

"That's not far away at all. Why don't we go and visit them?" Gale suggested.

"Mom, I don't-" Dawson began, already picturing the scene.

"I think your mother's got a good idea, Dawson. I mean, I guess since the two of you are…married, they're related now, and I'd like to meet them," Mitch said.

Dawson looked over at Joey, silently apologizing for all of this. She just nodded and forced a smile.

"Great. Sounds like fun."

Dawson blinked back to the present, asking himself why he hadn't just told his parent's no. But he just stood there, and in the end, agreeing on this little trip back to Capeside to make his parents happy. He was just glad they were leaving the next day and in the meantime, would be staying in a hotel.

"So how's Lily?" Dawson asked, trying to make conversation. "And where is she by the way?"

"She's with your grandmother; your mother and I decided not to bring her out here this trip," Mitch explained.

Dawson nodded. "Oh."

"Uh, what about you Joey? Do you have any younger siblings?" Gale asked from the back seat. Joey turned in her seat a little so that she could see Gale more.

"Nope, it's just me and Bessie. I'm the baby of the family," she explained. "But my sister has a ten year old son, so…" she trailed off. "He's like a nephew and a little brother." Since yesterday, Joey had felt a little more comfortable around her new in-laws.

"So Dawson, Joey; how long have you two been seeing each other?" Mitch asked. Joey and Dawson looked over at each other.

This is going to be a long ride… Dawson said to himself.

__

A little while later, they arrived at the B & B, Dawson introducing his parents to Bessie and Bodie. After talking for a little while there, they all decided to go to the nearby beach for the day instead of being at the B & B.

"You guys didn't bring your suits," Bessie observed as she and Bodie sat down on their blanket in the shade; Alexander playing in the water. Dawson and Joey sat together on their own blanket, Dawson's arm wrapped around Joey while she leaned against him.

"Well we weren't expecting…this," Gale trailed off. Bessie nodded her head, knowing what Gale was referring to. She hadn't expected it either.

"You know, not to sound like the bad guy here, but I don't think these two have any idea what they're getting themselves into," Mitch said.

"Yeah?" Bodie asked, curious to hear his opinion on it since he was kinda on the fence about it.

"Absolutely. I believe marriage is a serious commitment, and shouldn't have been rushed into," Mitch explained.

"I don't know honey, I think it's all kind of romantic," Gale said, smiling. She like Bodie, was kind of on the fence about the whole thing, yet it appeared Bessie and Mitch had solid opinions on it.

"Well I kind of agree with Mitch; I think this whole thing was rushed," Bessie said. "It's hard enough to make a marriage work without adding to it," she added, referring to the baby.

"Listen to the woman, Dawson; she has a point," Mitch said. Dawson and Joey both rolling their eyes at their families.

Dawson turned to Joey. "I think they're going to start spelling the big word out soon."

Joey turned to Bessie. "Why can't you guys just be happy for us?" she asked, more or less talking to Mitch and Bessie.

"Because we're afraid and worried for you," Bessie answered. "None of this would have happened if he would have just kept his-" Bessie began.

"Now wait just a minute Bessie, it takes two to…tango. Joey's just as responsible as he is," Mitch interrupted. Dawson and Joey just watched as their families went back and fourth over who was responsible for conceiving their child.

"Alright, let's just calm down, shall we?" Gale said, noticing the tension build by the minute. "They fell in love. There's nothing we can do about it except to accept it and be happy for the two."

"Joey, ask yourself this; where are you going to live? How will you raise your child?" Bessie asked. Joey looked at Dawson for a second and shrugged.

"We don't know yet," she said simply.

"You see!" Bessie said, "that's what I mean. you guys have no clue what your really doing, do you?" she asked.

"Bessie," Joey warned.

"Alright, well let's start with the basics; the baby will be Catholic," Bessie said. Mitch and Gale nodded in agreement, though neither households were really religious.

"And they'll live in L.A," Mitch said. Joey looked over at Dawson, who just shrugged. "Because that's where his job is," Mitch explained.

"Hold on just a second," Bessie said. "What about Joey's job? Which by the way, if you didn't know, is in New York."

"Well, no offense, but Dawson makes a lot more money, I'm sure, than she does," Mitch said.

"Well I'll have you know since your such an _expert _on my sister, she makes a good amount of money!" Bessie said in Joey's defense.

"Bessie, I'm not saying she doesn't, just that Dawson makes _more_ with his job; in Los Angeles." Dawson and Joey looked at one another, sensing the beginning of an argument.

"Well money isn't everything, although to you people out in _L.A. _I'm sure it is," Bessie spatted back.

"Excuse me but what is that supposed to mean?" Gale asked, now speaking up. Bessie stood up, her hands on her hips.

"What about her family? Her 'support,' huh? She'll be down there and we'll be up here," Bessie pointed out.

"Are you saying we wouldn't be supportive?" Mitch asked, standing up as well.

"Well so far you haven't!" Bessie exclaimed. Dawson and Joey now decided to try and stop the conversation which was quickly becoming a shouting match.

"Bess," she said, trying to calm her sister down. "Dad," Dawson said, trying to do the same thing, both ignoring them.

"Neither have you!" Mitch exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I guess you have to have loads of money to be there and be fully supportive!!" Bessie exclaimed. Both Bodie and Gale sat there, shocked while their spouses shouted at one another.


	8. Ch8

Chapter 8

****

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note: Okay, here's another chapter! Wow, 2 updates on one day… lol.

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

"Joey it just wasn't the right time to introduce them I guess," Dawson said as he joined her in the bathroom to brush his teeth. She stood in front of the sink already ahead of him, as they continued to argue about what had happened earlier that day.

"And he wasn't serious about the whole us moving to L.A. thing, it-it was just an idea," he said. Joey shot him a look as she spit out the toothpaste in the sink. "Alright, so it wasn't just an idea, but we don't have to move; that's up to us to decide," he said.

"Don't start," she said, putting her toothpaste down and walking into the bedroom to get something before returning back to the bathroom to continue getting ready for bed.

"Well your sister wasn't any help with all that money talk," he said, his toothbrush in his mouth.

"Neither was your father!' she said, filling up a cup of water to take her prenatal pills. "Look, Dawson, what my sister was trying to say was that money isn't everything. Growing up, we had no money. Hell I was a waitress in my sister's restaurant as soon as I turned fourteen!" Joey began. "I'm not saying I had the worse possible childhood being short of money, but I'm sure I wasn't able to do or have half the things you did growing up."

Dawson sighed in frustration. "When did money become included in this debate over where were going to live!"

"Dawson, it's always been there, it's just never really been discussed," Joey said, taking her jewelry off and putting it in a small basket she had beside the sink. 

"I don't get it; what is your thing with not wanting to live in L.A, huh? What do you have against it?" he asked.

"Dawson, we've been over this a dozen times!" Joey said. "It's not about liking the city or not- even though, I wouldn't rush to live there-" she began.

"Obviously," Dawson muttered. Joey paused, and put her hands on her hips. She took a breath and was about to continue, to now tell at him, but instead looked at him for a few seconds before walking out of the bathroom.

"Joey, where-" he began.

"Your not my favorite person right now," she explained over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah well, you either" he mumbled under his breath.

"If you want my advice," Pacey said as he and Dawson walked through the set at lunch time a few days later. "get out now," he said. "I'll even file it for you." Dawson turned and gave him a look.

"Hey, what did you expect man, you have a relationship that's based on heat and lack of protection five months ago," Pacey said finally coming to a halt.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe your not the right person to talk to about this," Dawson said as he came to a stop next to Pacey.

"Dawson, I'm the perfect guy to talk to about this cause I know what your trying to do," Pacey said. "I know you man, your trying to be that 'decent guy' -but I'm telling you, the longer you put this off the worse it's going to be."

"Put what off Pace, I just said we had a fight," Dawson said.

"You said more than that, man," he said. "Look, Dawson; were here to get a job done and in case you haven't noticed, were running a little behind."

"Hey can I help it if Natasha's set out to make my life hell?" Dawson asked.

"Just get your priorities straight, okay? Don't let this girl completely ruin your life," Pacey said.

"I'll handle it, okay?" Dawson said before walking off.

"Okay that's a wrap for the day," Dawson heard his boss, director Todd Carr, say later on that day. He threw his head back and sighed in relief before getting out of the chair beside Todd and stretched. Quickly catching a glimpse, he was reminded of the doctors appointment Joey had that day. And it was…now!

"Damnitt!" he cursed as he grabbed his coat and headed out of the studios, knowing he'd miss it of he didn't hurry.

Once he got there, he quickly ran it, and over to the front desk where a female receptionist sat. All around the room were pregnant women waiting for their name to be called. Most were further along than Joey was, who was now five months along.

"Hi, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked warmly, a smile on her face.

"Josephine Potter, uh Leery," he corrected quickly. The receptionist looked up quickly, as he corrected himself before looking b k down back down to look up her room number.

"She's in with the doctor, room 16," she told him.

"Thank you," he said quickly, disappearing out of the room in search of where Joey was.

"Joey!" he said in relief, finally finding the room and closing the door behind him.

"Dawson, I thought you had to work?" she said, already in the hospital's clothing and laying in the bed .

"I did. We uh, got out early. Joey, I need to talk to you," he began.

"I have to talk to you too," Joey said. "I feel really bad for the way things have been going and I'm sorry," she said.

"No, no it's not your fault, not at all; it's mine," Dawson said. Joey slowly shook her head.

"Look, I haven't been completely honest with you," he began. "And I was thinking on the way over.." But before he could finish, the doctor came in.

"Hello Joey," she said warmly. "And how are you today?" she asked.   
"Were fine,' she assured her. The doctor walked over beside Dawson.

"Hello, you must be the father I've heard so much about. I'm Lisa Lawrence," she said, extending her hand.

"Dawson Leery," Dawson said, shaking the doctors hand.

"Your just in time for the show," Lisa assured him, putting Joey's file folder on top of the machines monitor and walked over to Joey. She hiked the paper suit over her stomach, which had grown more.

"Come here. Wanna watch?" Joey asked as she motioned for Dawson to get closer. Dawson moved behind the monitor, and stood at her bedside and watched as the doctor prepped the machine, squirting jell on Joey's bare stomach.

"Is that going to hurt her?" Dawson asked, concerned.

Joey laughed, touched by his concern for her. "No, it tickles," she assured him. As the doctor continued, there was a sudden noise throughout the room.

"Wow, what is that?" Dawson asked as a fast sound came from the machine.

"That's your baby's heartbeat," Lisa explained.

"It's so fast," he said.

"It's normal," she assured him.

"Neat, huh?" Joey asked, reaching for his hand; Dawson squeezing it lovingly as they listened to their baby's heartbeat.

"Yeah," Dawson said.

"Here's the leg.. That's its head.." Lisa said as she pointed out the little parts of their baby on the monitor. Dawson squinted his eyes, trying to picture the parts. Finally, he managed to see them, and recognize what they were the doctor was pointing out.

"Wait, is that his…" he trailed off, pointing to a part on the screen. Joey rolled her eyes.

"Uh, actually I think that's an arm. It's a little too early to determine the baby's sex," she explained.

"Let's take the first picture of you baby," the doctor said as Dawson looked over at Joey's stomach, amazed that he was seeing on the little screen what was inside her stomach, seeing their baby. The image he saw made the concept of their baby seem so much more reel than it had been before. He then up at Joey, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, resting his forehead on hers, feeling bad about them fighting.

"Me too," she whispered back.

__

A few days later..

"Pacey, you should have head it, it was unbelievable. I could actually hear it's heart beating," Dawson rambled on as they walked to the small front office they had set up. "And it was going so fast," he added.

"That's great, really," Pacey said, half listening. "Listen, I talked to Todd and he said our favorite competitor, Charlie Peterson, is at least two weeks ahead of us on _his_ film," Pacey explained.

"Pacey, Charlie Peterson doesn't have a life," Dawson told him just as Joey walked into the building.

"Hey you!" she said, smiling.

"Hi Joey," Pacey said flatly.

"Wow, what are you doing here?" Dawson asked happily as he pulled her into a hug and gave her a long kiss on the lips.

"I came to kidnap you," she explained with a smile on her face.

"Uh, Dawson, this isn't really a good day," Pacey said behind Dawson.

"Pacey, don't make me hurt you," Joey said. "I want to take my husband out on his birthday; he disserves it," she said.

"Will you cover for me?" Dawson asked, already heading out the door with Joey.

"Have a good time," Pacey said.

"Thank you Pacey," Joey said sweetly.

"Thank you Pacey," Dawson repeated, mimicking the sweetness in his voice as they walked out of the door.

"So where are you taking me anyway?" Dawson asked as they headed towards her vehicle.

"It's a surprise, Joey told him simply.

"Joey, you didn't have to do this," Dawson told her as they sat back on the blanket she had brought after finishing the little meal she had packed.

"Nonsense, I wanted to," she explained.

"To tell you the truth, I never really made much of a deal about my birthday in L.A," Dawson explained.

"You didn't?" she asked.

"Nope. I mean, sometimes I'd go out to the bar with Pacey or something, but I didn't do much to celebrate," he explained. "I haven't really celebrated since I was a kid. But my mom still makes me a cake and brings it over on my birthday anyways." Joey smiled, listening to him talk.

"You really miss L.A. don't you?" she asked.

"I guess I do, as weird as it sounds, I mean, I've lived there most of my life," he said. Joey nodded.

"Well, I've been thinking about making you a deal," she began. "If we can stay here until after the baby is born, I'll move to L.A." she said.

"Joey that's so great!" Dawson said excitedly.

"I'm not saying I like it!" she said quickly. "But I'll give it a try." Dawson smiled and leaned forward, kissing her.

"Good, now I can give you your present," Joey said happily, after their kiss ended, as she reached over to the side of her

"You mean there's more?" Dawson asked as Joey pulled over a medium sized box out of the large cooler they had brought.

"Uh huh. I called my new mother in law, and asked about what you'd like for your birthday," she explained as she handed him the box. "This arrived today."

Dawson looked at the box, then at her first before he began to open it. Joey watched in anticipation as he took the bow off and moved the fabric bag it was in. inside the box was a cake his mother had baked for him the day before, and had sent out to Joey to give to Dawson.

His eyes grew wide as he opened it. "I can't believe you did this!" he exclaimed. She smiled, handing him a fork, knife, and a plate.

"Who said you can't have a little bit of home when your half way across the U.S from it," she joked.

"this is the best birthday I've ever had," Dawson told her truthfully as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Okay, you gotta try a piece. My mom makes the best cake," he said as he cut her a piece and handed the plate to her, then cut one for himself.

"Oh she does, does she?" Joey said as she cut herself a piece. Dawson watched as she lifted up to her mouth and took a bite.

"Mmm. Mmmm, this is good," Joey said as she took another bite. Dawson smiled, and looked down at his piece, and taking a bite.

"Mmm," he said loud, enjoying the taste of his mother's home maid cake, memories of birthdays past coming to mind as they sat there, eating cake with his arm around Joey.


	9. Ch9

Chapter 9

****

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note: Wow, actually, looking at how much more the movie has left… I think this story has 3 _maybe _4 chapters left and it's done! This chapter is a little cut in some places. But if you've seen the movie, it should be alright, and for those of you who haven't, its okay. I hope it's not dull!

****

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

Dawson stood in Todd's office, waiting; just waiting for the lecture he knew he was going to get. It would probably be a more drawn out version of the little ones he'd get from Pacey every few days. He thought to himself about how it was a very good thing he was friends with his boss or else he'd probably be fired. Most directors were like that.

"Okay, he silence is killing me," Dawson said. "Just say what your thinking."

"I probably should have kept your ass back in Los Angeles is what I was thinking," Todd said. "None of this would have happened."

"Todd, I know I haven't been as focused as I should be-" Dawson began.

"Damn right you haven't been. Leery, you're the director's assistant; my assistant. You should be sharp and on your toes," he said.

"I swear for now on, I'll be more focused," Dawson said. "C'mon Todd, give me another chance. We'll have this movie finished in two months," Dawson told him. He and Todd had talked about letting Dawson direct the next film -depending on how good of a job he did with this one. And so far, Dawson knew he wasn't doing as well as he should been doing.

"You know mate, if we get this film finished in two months, I just may be forced to let you direct the next flick after all," Todd said.

"You'd still let me do it?" Dawson asked, half surprised.

"You're the best assistant I've ever had, kid. And you'd be a damn good director," Todd said. Dawson smiled. "IF you knew how to keep your priorities straight," Todd added, causing Dawson's smile to falter.

"Look, productions on the next film starts July 1st," he explained. Dawson looked at him shocked, remembering the promise he had made to Joey a while back.

"But Pacey said it wasn't starting 'till October," Dawson said.

"Wha' you don't want it?" Todd asked.

"No! No, I want it, it's just.. The baby's due in October and I promised-"

"Is there a problem?" he asked. Dawson looked up into his boss's face, realizing he wasn't going to be able to keep his promise to Joey. He had worked too hard to let this opportunity slide between his fingers.

"No. No, there's no problem," he said, looking down on the ground.

During the next month or so, Dawson had shifted his 'priorities' to where all he did was work. He'd even take work home with him, partly so that he wouldn't have to look Joey in the face, knowing he was putting off telling her that they were going to have to move long before October.

The more busy he got, the less he was forced to think about letting her down. But along with that, he didn't realize he barely saw his wife. He didn't stop and notice the things that were still happening to her during the pregnancy. He barely made it home for supper; never fully realizing all he was missing. He had been running late for work and had missed a baby shower, several appointments, and even forgot about meeting her one night to pick out a baby crib. But he knew that once the movie was made, he'd be able to make up for the lost time- or so he hoped.

"Honey, let him get this movie made," Audrey said, sitting beside Joey at work. Joey was relieve she could still turn to Audrey for advice or just someone to talk to. And with the way Dawson had been acting, she needed to talk to Audrey.

"He's changed Audrey. I can't reach him. Something happened at work; A-a meeting or something," she said.

"Joey, the guy's got a lot on his mind," Audrey explained.

"No, it's more than that," Joey said. "I think he's in trouble….but he won't talk to me."

"Well do you think he wants out?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know," she said honestly, resting her hand against her belly.

A few weeks later, the movie was completed. Joey was excited, hoping now things would go back to normal between them; and maybe he'd be around more. She was now seven moths along, wishing Dawson was around more before the baby was born.

There was just one more thing left for Dawson to do then he'd be done with the film, then they'd be together in New York for a few months before they'd move to L.A. There was a wrap party she knew she'd have to attend with him, even though being at seven months, she wasn't too thrilled about getting dressed up while feeling so fat, but she knew it was important to him, and she loved him, so she planned on going.

Dawson had arrived at the party before her, but she was amazed at the beauty of the building where the part was when she got there. Everyone was dressed up and looked amazing. She had arrived with Audrey, inviting her beforehand. When she walked in, she instantly spotted Dawson on the other side of the room. He looked up to see Joey arrive; Audrey at her side. He smiled and waved at her. She was wearing a beautiful black dress and had her hair up in a bun. The site of her took his breath away. Joey smiled and waved back as Dawson made hi way towards her.

"Hi!" he said as he finally reached her, kissing Audrey quickly on the cheek then Joey.

"Hey," he said, kissing Joey on the cheek.

"Hey," she said.

"I was worried about you," he admitted.

"Hey, listen you guys, I'm going to the bar to get a drink," Audrey said before disappearing.

"You shouldn't worry about anything, Dawson. This is your night," she said.

"Joey, I think now that the filming for the film is finished, we should probably talk about-"

"I am so proud of you, Dawson!" she said, smiling. His face fell a little, the guilt seeping in.

"Hey, why aren't you more excited?" Joey said as she playfully swatted him on the arm, picking up on his mood.

"Ah, well, it's just been a little…hectic," Dawson said. "You know, there's just been so much going on, and.." he trailed off. "You look great," he said, looking her body up and down, smiling.

"I-I look fat," she said brushing a strand of hair that had come loose, behind her ear and putting her other hand on her stomach. Joey's eyes grew wide.

"Feel this," she said as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. Dawson was a little confused for a second, then he felt it. He smiled realizing the baby was moving around. Both Joey and Dawson smiled.

"The baby must like the music," Joey guessed, their gazes locking.

"Hi," a blond woman said, walking up to them, interrupting their moment. "Excuse me, but Dawson, there are a few people who would like to talk to you over there," she said.

"Oh, okay," he turned to Joey, who continued to force a smile. "I gotta… I'll see you later," he said before disappearing, not seeing Joey's smile had faded. She sighed as she watched him disappear away from her.

As the party dragged on, Joey's hope that Dawson would come around decreased. The few times he had come over to see and talk to her, he was whisked away once more to go talk to more 'Hollywood Big-shots.' And each time, Audrey noticed the disappointment in Joey's face.

A little while later, Audrey pulled Joey into the ladies room for a make up- touch up -and also to try and talk to her.

"Joey, are you alright?" she asked.

"Of coarse, why wouldn't I be?" Joey asked.

"Jo, C'mon, I know you. Something's wrong and I know it has to do with Dawson and the way he's been acting lately."

Joey sighed. "I just wish he wasn't so…distant."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Audrey asked. "you know, told him how you felt about all this?"

"I-I'm sure things will calm down after this," Joey said as she made a few touch ups on her lipstick. "So you and Pacey seem to be getting along," Joey observed.

"Yeah, well," Audrey said, trying to change the subject back to Dawson. Joey gave her a look, wanting to her more about Audrey and Pacey, and to not talk about Dawson anymore. "Alright, alright, so I think he's cute. And charming," Audrey added. Joey just rolled her eyes.

"Ow!" Joey said suddenly as she leaned forward, putting both arms on the sink for support.

"Joey, are you okay?" Audrey asked quickly, putting her hand on Joey's back.

"Yeah, I'm-I'm okay," she said.

"Alright here, come sit down," Audrey said helping Joey to the small couch in the rest room. "I'll go get Dawson," she said as Joey sat down.

"No. No you won't!" Joey said quickly, her hand on her stomach. "Just… wait a minute, it'll pass," she assured Audrey.

"I'm going to go get you some water, okay?" Audrey said.

"Okay," Joey replied, taking a few breaths and rubbing her stomach. A few minutes later, Audrey returned with a cup of water.

"Here," she said.

"Thank you." Joey took a few sips and sat there for a few more minutes.

"Feeling better?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay now," Joey said as she got up.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. C'mon, let's get back out there," Joey suggested. Joey looked around the room for Dawson, hoping to catch him for a quick second. She was feeling a little better, but she wanted to get home and rest. Finally, she spotted him sitting at a table with three other man. She took a deep breath and began towards him.

"there you are," she sighed as she reached him. Dawson smiled and stood up next to her.

"Oh uh, Todd; This is my wife, Joey," Dawson said, quickly introducing them. "Joey, this is my boss, Todd Carr." Todd stood up and extended his hand, smiling.

"'Ello, nice to meet ya," Todd said, shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too," Joey said.

"Your in for quite an adventure," Todd told her. Joey smiled, putting her hand on her stomach and looking over at Dawson.

"It has been so far," she said, smiling.

"I knew if I dangl'd the chance to direct, our boy here would get back on track," Todd said.

"Well, we don't really need to-" Dawson began.

"Excuse me?" Joey asked.

"Just think; by this time next week, the two of you will be back in Sunny California," Todd said, grinning. "I hope your all packed." Joey's face began to fall in realization.

"Listen, it was nice to meet you, but I gotta get outta here," Todd said. "Maybe we can get together and have dinner or something," he suggested before heading off. Joey slowly nodded her head.

Dawson stood there for a second, trying to think of what to say to her, but before he could say a word, Joey walked off.

"Shit," Dawson muttered under his breath as he ran after her, chasing her all the way out of the building and into the parking lot where the music could still be heard.

"Joey, there was nothing.." he began. But she continued walking. "Would you just stop for a second?" he said as grabbed her arm lightly, turning her towards him.

"Look, there was nothing I could do the job starts July first," Dawson said.

"Tell them to wait," she said simply.

"I can't do that," he told her.

"Can't or won't?" Joey asked, then began walking away once more.

"I've worked too long, too hard to-" he began. Joey spun around.

"To what ? To share your life with someone who loves you?" Joey said. "Who-who cares for you?" Joey stopped, putting her hand up to her forehead. "But you don't include me! Why do you shut me out of your life?" she asked, starting to break down.

"There wasn't time, I-"

"Oh c'mon Dawson, you knew about this for a month!" Joey said. She took a deep breath to try and regain composure. "Look, I told you in the beginning that I had no problem raising this baby on my own," she said before she began to walk away once more, now feeling sick again.

"Jo! I thought we were a family," Dawson said, talking a step after her. Joey turned around once more.

"Yeah? So didn't I," Joey said. "But love is a gift, Dawson. It's not an obligation - like the way you've been treating us!" she said as the tears came down. She quickly began running, not wanting him to see the tears.

"I didn't work this hard to throw it all away just because I walked you down the isle and put a five dollar ring on your finger!" he shouted to her. Dawson heard a loud sob escape her, which only made him feel worse, as he watched her disappear into the car and drive out of the parking lot. He stood there for a few minutes, letting it all sink in as she disappeared from him.


	10. Ch10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Fools Rush In" or the show, Dawson's Creek, kay? I'm just borrowing the plotline from "Fools Rush In" and some of the characters from Dawson's Creek.

****

Author's Note:

Thank You's: A BIG thank you to Jessie who helped me get ideas together.

****

Spoilers: There aren't any spoilers in here this time (Well, except if you haven't seen the movie "Fools Rush In".) This is an AU (Alternate Universe) fan fiction. So what you know about Dawson and Joey growing up together, being best friends, sadly there is none of that in this fan-fiction.

Dawson came home and took his jacket off, wondering if Joey would be home today. He hadn't seen her since they had fought I the parking lot. He climbed up the stairs and opened the bedroom door hoping to find her in there.

"Joey? Jo?" he called out, noticing the room hadn't been touched since he had left. He had begun to pack the day before, since he had till the end of the week before he moved. He sighed, sitting down on the bed, then laying back, his arms over his face. Then the phone rang. He groaned, wanting nothing more than to ignore it, but he knew it could be Joey calling. With that in mind, he quickly sat up and answered the phone.

"Hello?" then suddenly a very worried Audrey came on the line explaining something had happened. "Audrey? What happened?" he asked, trying to stay calm. Everything around Dawson seemed unreal as he rushed to the emergency room, fighting back tears and anger. Anger at himself for saying the things he had said to her the other night. But he was also afraid something was really wrong. By the way Audrey sounded, it wouldn't be good.

"Maternity?" Dawson asked quickly, out of breath as he reached the receptionist, who looked quite busy.

The woman looked up. "Second floor," she said quickly, pointing. Dawson didn't even thank her, he ran towards the elevator, almost running into doctors and nurses on the way.

Finally, feeling like it had taken forever, Dawson had found her room. He quickly caught his breath before going in. As soon as he entered the room, Joey turned away from him, laying on her side. He could see she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he slowly entered the room, his heart rate racing from both running to get to her and also for what news he might be about to hear.

"I'm alright," she said, still facing the other way. Dawson paused, wanting to know how the baby was but afraid to hear the answer.

"Is the baby.." he trailed off.

Slowly Joey replied. "There is no baby." Silence filled the room. Dawson looked up as his heart broke into a thousand pieces.

"W-what?" he asked, hoping he had heard wrong as he took another step into the room.

"Dawson, I've been thinking," Joey began. "If I hadn't been pregnant, then I wouldn't have gone to your house that night and we wouldn't have gotten married." She paused. "The baby was the reason for us to be together."

"No," he said quickly, walking over closer to her. "That's just not true; Joey-" he began.

"I thought it was fate," she began. "It was just a stupid dream, Dawson. One that wasn't real," she whispered. She wiped a tear as it slid down her hot cheek.

"W-what are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying were not meant to be together," she said holding back more tears as she said it.

"No! Joey, don't say that!" Dawson said quickly. "Don't do this; not now," he said, walking up beside the hospital bed.

"Dawson, it's not going to work!" she said.

"Joey, let me help you," Dawson said, not wanting to give up. He loved her and he wasn't ready for her to be out of his life.

"Get out Dawson," she said softly. Dawson stood there for a second. "Get out!" she repeated, with a little more force. Dawson was taken back by it all, and backed up. "GET OUT!" she yelled. Dawson fought the urge to stay there, but instead he walked out of the room, giving her what she wanted. As soon as Dawson left, Joey began to cry once more.

Audrey saw Dawson walk out, and walked up to him. She had been talking to the nurse when she saw Dawson walk in and hear Joey shouting.

"Dawson-" she began as she put her hand out to him. Dawson put his hands out quickly, not wanting to talk to anyone. Not only had he lost his child, but he had just lost his wife as well.

He got home feeling totally and completely numb. He could not believe what had happened. He felt like he was looking down at himself, unable and not caring to do anything. He walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice. He opened the fridge and grabbed the juice, catching a glimpse of the ultrasound picture they had taped on the freezer door a while back as he closed the door.

The pain hit him once more, as it had since Joey had told him she had lost the baby. He walked over to the counter, putting both hands on it as if to support himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking all that he had lost. Anger filled him once more, realizing how badly he had messed up, knowing that was why Joey wouldn't let him help her through this. Suddenly anger filled him, and he grabbed the carton of juice, throwing it across the room before ripping the ultrasound picture off of the freezer door

The next day, Dawson decided to pick up a huge bouquet of flowers and visit Joey at the hospital to try and make up for what he had already done. Yesterday he had simply given up, but today he was bound and determined to fight to keep her in his life. He walked into her room and was shocked to find out she was gone.

He walked back out just as a nurse was walking by.

"Excuse me , but could you tell me what happened to the woman who was in this room yesterday?" he asked. The nurse looked onto the room.

"She was released this morning," she explained.

"She was?" Dawson asked, surprised. "Do you know where she went?" he asked. The nurse shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry," she said before walking off. Dawson stood there, feeling defeated. Then it hit him; Audrey would know where she was! Hell, Joey might be staying with Audrey. He quickly left for Audrey's house.

He rushed up the stairs and began knocking on Audrey's door. He stood there and waited a second. No response. He knocked again, with more urgency.

"Audrey?" he called out. A few seconds later, Audrey opened the door.

"Dawson? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Where is she?" he asked quickly.

"Joey? I have no idea. I haven't seen her since yesterday," she explained. Dawson raked his hands through his hair, not knowing where else to look. Thinking the only other place to look is her sister's, Dawson quickly dialed the number in the car.

"Hello?"

"Bessie, it's Dawson. Have you seen or talked to Joey?" he asked quickly, knowing Bessie would know where Joey was. She'd have to. There was a pause on the other line.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea where my sister is," she said finally. Dawson hung up, having no idea where else to look for her as he drove back home.

The rest of the week flew by for Dawson, who busied himself in packing everything up, carefully packing up Joey's stuff and sending them to Audrey's house, knowing Audrey would let Joey know that her stuff was there if she heard from her. But he was unable to pert with some of the things, deciding to take them with him back to L.A.

By Friday, Dawson had the moving truck all packed, and ready for the drive back to Los Angeles. He looked around the bare apartment before shutting off the light and closing the door. He climbed in the moving truck, a small box in the passenger's side. He paused before starting up the van and beginning his ride back home..

The following month was complete hell for Dawson. He had missed Joey so much, yet he felt powerless. There was no way of finding her, he had tried all the places he could think of and still.. No Joey. He had told his parents about their break up and about how Joey had lost the baby. Telling his parents about Joey and the baby only made things seem more…real.

Every day Dawson would think about Joey; wondering what she was doing, how she was doing, where she was, and if she had moved on, something he wasn't able to do yet. Along with thoughts of Joey, Dawson thought about their baby. How far along Joey would be now if… his heart pained to think about it. Joey would be giving birth to their baby in another month, less than that.

And soon he'd begin on the film he had worked so hard to film. This would be it; his chance at being a director; something had always wanted to be. Yet the thought of directing, for some reason, didn't thrill and excite him as much as it had used to. Pacey had quickly noticed his sudden change in attitude, insisting he get back into the groove by going out to bars with him and enjoy the time they had left before they began filming the next film.

"Don't be a spoil sport Dawson! I mean your turning down box seats to a Yankees game for the love of god!" Pacey said, following Dawson. They had begun to look at locations for the film already, Dawson being tired of sitting around thinking about his life back in New York.

"I got a lot of work to do," he said simply.

"Dawson, buddy; you are killing me here! These girls come in groups of two. You cannot date one without the other," he explained.

"I'm just not up for it, okay Pacey?" Dawson said.

"Well get up for it, okay Dawson?" Pacey said, in the same tone as Dawson had used. "You know this whole 'not dating, not having a life' thing is getting old." Dawson turned around towards Pacey just as a woman walked up to him, a yellow folder in her hand.

"Dawson Leery" she asked. Dawson turned around.

"That's me," Dawson said, wondering who she was and what she wanted.

"Then these are for you," she said, handing him the folder. "Sign here," she asked, handing him a clipboard.

"What is this?" Dawson asked as he signed the paper and handed it back to her.

"Your divorce papers," she said. Dawson looked up. "You have six days to contest," she explained. "Have a nice day," she said before leaving.

"Oh, you too," Dawson said sarcastically, unable to believe Joey had filed for divorce as he looked down at the envelope he held.

"Well there you go; life sucks -welcome to the club," Pacey said, walking over to the other side of Dawson.

"Now, about Friday," he said, hoping the current events would change Dawson's mind into going with him. "Come with us, man," he begged. Dawson looked over at Pacey before walking away.


	11. Ch 11a

Chapter 11

Author's Note: This is the final chapter, but here's the thing. It's kinda long so this chapter is in 2 parts; this is part one.

[A few weeks later]

__

Capeside..

"Bessie, it was the right thing to do!" Joey said as she helped her sister set the table. They had been in this discussion many times over the past month or so Joey had been staying with them, and it seemed like they were going to argue about it again.

"No Joey, it wasn't," Bessie said. "Now I may not have been thrilled about this whole thing to begin with, but I think what you did was wrong. You let your fear take over!"

"I did not," she said. "and it was my decision to make."

"Yeah and it was selfish," Bessie said as she continued to prepare the table for dinner.

"He never would have left if he knew I was still pregnant," she said. "He _wanted _to go Bess! So I let him of the hook," she explained.

"No, you let yourself off the hook," Bessie said. "You love him, Joey. Why did you lie to him about loosing the baby?" she asked. Joey stood there for a second, before sitting down in one of the chairs, her back hurting.

"Because I had to," she said. "Because if I didn't leave him, he would have left me," Joey explained, blinking back tears. She had missed Dawson so much the past month she had been away from him. "And I really don't think I could have handled that." Joey walked over to her sister, and bent down in front of her.

"Joey, you will never know love unless you stop running from it," Bessie told her. Joey nodded her head.

"Your right," she said. "God what am I going to do?" she asked. "I miss him so much," she said as she began to cry. Bessie put her arms around her sister as she cried.

__

In L.A…

Dawson sat on his couch, drinking a beer and flipping through the channels, looking for something to take his mind off the divorce papers on the coffee table in front of him; still in the envelop. He had tried to open it earlier, but just couldn't do it. Instead, he went to the fridge and grabbed a few bottles of beer he had in there and plopped down on the couch. He rubbed his chin, knowing he needed to shave, but didn't care enough to do it at the moment. He closed his eyes, wishing he could do something to get her off his mind when the phone rang beside him.

"Yeah?" he said, greeting whoever it was who was calling. It's probably Pacey again, Dawson thought to himself.

"Dawson, hey it's Jen! I hope Did I catch you at a bad time?" she asked, her voice sounding all sweet and innocent.

"Jennifer Lindley, your timing is impeccable," he said as he began playing with his wedding band. Really it as the only thing left of Joey. He had taken the few possessions she had left behind and placed them in a box, putting them in the back of his closet.

"Well, I heard what happened with you and your wife and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am," she explained.

"Thanks," Dawson said, although not totally meaning it. He and Jen had gone to school together, had practically grown up together. He had known she had always had a thing for him; as time went on, she just seemed to be more and more obvious about it.

"Okay, so listen; your parents are coming sailing with us this weekend. Is there…any chance you could come with us?" she asked. Dawson paused, thinking about it. "C'mon, Dawson. It'll be fun. You and me and our parents. Like old times."

"You know what?"

"What?" she asked.

"You got yourself a date," he said as he closed his fist around his wedding band.

The next day, Dawson headed out to the store to pick up a few things for the weekend sailing trip he was going on. He figured maybe that would help him get his mind off of everything, and most of all, he just wanted to have fun again. Jen had called his parents up that night and happily explained that Dawson would join them for the weekend; which he knew she would.

He thought about her and laughed to himself. She had been the kind of girl he had always gone after. She was tall, blond.. She was a knock out. They had dated for a while in high school. Then he thought about Joey and how different the two women were from each other. Joey was just as beautiful as Jen was - more so in fact. She was gorgeous in a natural sort of way. She didn't even need makeup. Jen on the other hand, always wore make up and was always worried what she looked like. He smiled remembering how Joey was totally the opposite, never afraid to get her hands dirty.

"There are signs everywhere," a priest said, knocking Dawson out of his thoughts as he passed him. Dawson stopped in front of the priest.

"What did you say?" he asked, not totally catching what the man had said before, he was so caught up in his thoughts.

"You looked lost. There are signs everywhere to guide you in the right direction," he said. Dawson looked at him for a second.

"Thanks," he said before walking away.

The weekend came fast. Dawson had a bag packed when he hailed a taxi cab Friday morning. He had talked to his parents the day before, assuring them he was coming and where they'd all meet. As he sat in the cab, he looked out the window at all the billboards and signs around Los Angeles on his way to the airport. There was one that caught his eye, reminding him of Joey. It was a billboard of advertisement for Central park. Where she had taken him to on his birthday. He shook of those thoughts as the cab pulled up to the airport. They were taking Jen's father's private .

As soon as he entered the small airport, Jen instantly spotted him, getting up from the chair, and walking over to him with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey you! I was worried you weren't coming," she said as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey Jen," he said.

"There you are sweety!" Gale said as he made his way over to them, saying hello to everyone. "I was just telling Helen I can't remember when we last did something like this all of us together!" she said, smiling. He looked over to the right and saw a little girl, beautiful kid, with long brown hair and brown eyes watching him. He stood there, and looked at her for a second; she reminded him of Joey.

"Dawson, wait until you see Theodore's new boat!" Mitch said, laughing.

"It's a beauty," Theodore assured him.

"Well, what do you say we get this show on the road, huh?" Mitch suggested. Everyone picked up their bags and headed out the side door. Dawson stood, unable to tear his gaze from the little girl. Jen looked back, noticing Dawson wasn't following.

"Dawson? Is everything alright?" Jen asked.

"I am," he said, finally tearing his gaze from the small girl. "I just uh… Have a-have a thing with helicopters," he said

"Well, you just stick my me, then," Jen said, taking his hand and walking in the direction everyone else had gone in. Dawson tore his hand from her grip.

"Wh-why don't I carry that for you?" he asked, taking her bag. Anything to keep her hands off him.

"Thank you," she said sweetly, instead, practically hugging his arm as they walked out the door. Dawson gritted his teeth, unable to do anything about it without snapping at her.

"Joey!" a woman called out behind him. Dawson spun around, hoping to see his Joey behind him. Instead it was the little girl's mother, chasing after her. "Joey, you have to stay in here," the mother told her as she brought her back in.

Dawson stood there, realizing he couldn't do this. He had to find Joey and now. Jen was already looking for him, waiting for him to come back. He walked over to Jen, telling her he couldn't go. She forced a smile as he helped her into the plane and shut the door behind her. His parents looked out from the windows as the plane lifted off, leaving him there. He smiled, determined more than ever to get Joey back. Dawson then ran back into the airport, buying a ticket to Capeside. He had a feeling Bessie knew more about Joey's whereabouts than she was telling. Dawson decided to go to Capeside this time.


	12. Ch 11b & Epilogue

Part 2:

Author's Note: this is the finale, final chapter! Oh, and there's a short epilogue at the end there. To bbwholly1981: haha! Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it! And to everyone else who gave the time to read it, thank you!

Dawson could barely stand the wait on the plane ride as they neared Massachusetts. There was a bit of a time difference by eight hours or so. He was glad he had gotten a morning flight there; by the time he'd get there it would be late afternoon, early evening.

As soon as he got off the plane, he wasted no time getting a taxi and directing them to the Potter B & B. Joey ha to be there. That was the one place she considered 'home.' She had even told him that once. Once the cab pulled up to the B & B, Dawson shot out of the car, telling the driver to wait for him. This was it; he was going to get her back. He quickly walked up to the porch and was about to knock when Bessie opened the door.

"Dawson, what?-" she began.

"I'm here to find Joey. Bessie, I need to find here," Dawson said. "Please, where is she?" he asked. Bessie looked at him, hesitating.

"Please, I love her, and I want to get her back," he said. Not able to stand him pleading with her anymore, and realizing he was truly in love with her sister, Bessie decided to tell him.

"Okay, she left here; a few hours ago," she explained.

"So she was staying here," Dawson said.

"She didn't want you to know. I was just doing what she told me to do," Bessie said. Dawson stood there for a moment.

"Thank you," he said. Bessie looked at him and smiled.

"Your welcome. Now what are you waiting for? Go get my sister!" she said. Dawson smiled, pulling Bessie into a quick hug before running back to the cab, telling the driver to drop him off at the boarder line. She had to pass it to get back to New York, and he was planning on catching her there.

"Just great," Joey muttered to herself as it began to downpour. She turned on the wipers as the rain came down faster. She had had one hand on her stomach, but decided to have both hands on the wheel as the rain fall made it a little harder to see. The last thing she needed was to get into an accident while driving back to New York to have her baby.

"I hate this song," Joey said as she realized a song she hated was playing on the radio. Looking up to make sure the road was clear, she took her eyes off the road for a second and looked down to fight with her car radio. It hadn't been working right for a while now. Her large stomach also made it harder to lean forward to switch the station. She looked up as she continued to fiddle with the tuner.

Just as she looked up, someone jumped in front of her vehicle. Joey quickly put on the brakes, hearing them squeal on the pavement as she came to s stop; the other cars behind her swerving and honking their horns. She looked up and there was Dawson, standing in the middle of the lane, soak and wet from waiting out in the rain. Anger filled Joey as she opened her door and got out of the car to confront him.

"Dawson, what the- what the hell! Are you trying to kill the both of us!" she yelled, quickly getting soaked herself.

"I'm not getting you a divorce!" he told her. Joey threw her hands up in the air, unable to believe this was happening.

"Your too late!" she told him.

"No, no I'm not! I've still got to twelve!" he said, pointing to his watch, which was probably soaked by now.

"Dawson, it's over," she told him.

"Get off the road!" an angry driver yelled from behind them, still sitting in his car. Joey turned around, throwing her hands up in the air once more, unable to do anything about the car jam.

"There was a priest! He said there were signs all over Jo!" Dawson said, through all the noise.

"What priest? Dawson, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"The picture of the park, the little girl named Joey," he explained as if it'd make sense. "There are signs all over; just like he said. He said they'd point me in the right direction and they have!" he said. "They brought me to you."

"Dawson, I don't believe in any of that. Not anymore," she told him.

"Yes you do, Joey!" he said. "And you were wrong. It wasn't the baby that brought us together. It was something else; something bigger!" he explained.

"Don't do this," Joey said as she began to cry, walking back to her car.

Dawson caught up to her, grabbing her arm. "You're my soul mate Joey, we were meant for each other," he said. "I see that now. I love you. I love you so much-" he looked down and noticed for the first time her stomach.

"What the hell is wrong with your stomach!" he demanded. Joey looked down, realizing she was caught in her lie.

"Dawson, just go back home and leave me alone!" Joey said as she tried once more to reach her car.

"Your still pregnant!" Dawson said, blocking the door, unable to believe she had lied to him.

"I know!!" Joey exclaimed.

"How could you lie to me about something like that, huh?" he asked, hurt that she had led him to believe that she had lost their baby.

"I-I don't know!" she said. "I tried to reach you but I couldn't and.." she paused. "And you lied to me too!" she reminded him, still angry about it.

"Joey, I know, and I was wrong," he said, grabbing her arms. "I was so wrong for doing that and I'm so sorry," he told her, feeling a weight lifting from his shoulder. "I love you so much; I never meant to hurt you," he told her honestly. "And I'm here now." He quickly kissed her forehead.

Then it hit him. "Oh mi god, you know what this means? We're going to have a baby!" he exclaimed happily. Another pain hit Joey, and she put her hand on the side of the car for support.

"No, _I'm_ going to have a baby and your going to call an ambulance. Right now!" she told him. Dawson looked at her confused.

"Why?"

"Because my water just broke!" she told him.

Dawson's eyes grew wide. "This is so great!" he exclaimed happily.

"Dawson, the ambulance. NOW!" she screamed, feeling another contraction coming on. Dawson looked around frantically, before remembering his cell phone.

"I got my cell phone!" he said quickly, pulling it out of his pocket and dialing 9-1-1. Joey screamed, the contractions growing more and more painful.

The ambulance arrived twenty minutes after Dawson had called. By now, Dawson had moved Joey to the side of the road, so that at lest she wasn't laying in the middle of the road.

"Hurry up, she's over here!" Dawson called out as the paramedics arrived. He looked down at Joey. "It's okay, their here," he assured her. Joey fritted her teeth as another contraction hit her.

"Sir, is this your wife?" one of them asked as the other inspected Joey, to see how far along she was already.

"Yes!" "No!" they both said at once.

"Ma'am, do you think we could move you inside the ambulance where it'll be dryer?" he asked.

"She's not going anywhere, these contractions are right on top of one another," the other paramedic informed him.

"Did you hear that Jo? The contractions are on top of each other which means the baby will be here soon!" Dawson said.

"I'm not deaf, I'm in labor!" Joey exclaimed.

"Oh my god, were having a baby!" Dawson exclaimed, for the hundredth time, wishing he could tell his parents that there was a a baby after all and that Joey was giving birth at that very moment.

"I hate you! I hate you!" Joey said over and over again.

"They always say that," the paramedic assured Dawson. Dawson looked back down at Joey.

"Joey, you can do this; I know you can!" he said, stroking her head.

"Alright miss, it's time for you to push," the paramedic told her. "I hope you have a name picked out," he said. Joey's eyes went wide with shock. "Alright, give her some oxygen over here!" he told the other paramedic.

"Okay, the baby's coming and I'm here," Dawson assured her. "I'm right here."

"Go away, Dawson!" she said, pushing him away.

"No, I'm not leaving Joey! I'm never leaving you again!" he promised.

"Get away from me!" she said as she continued to push him away from her. Then another contraction hit and she pulled him over to her once more.

"Dawson, please! Please don't leave me! I love you and…" she caught her breath. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I need you so much!" She then screamed as she began to push.

"Ow, ow, Jo; honey, your breaking my hand!" he told her as she continued to scream.

"Okay, now the baby's head is crowing so I need for you to keep pushing!" the paramedic told her.

Joey nodded quickly, wanting to pain to be over. "There's a blanket in the back of my car!" she told the paramedic behind Dawson.

"Joey, push! C'mon, you can do it! Push!" he said, just as eager to se their baby as she was. Joey continued to scream as she pushed for what seemed like hours.

"The head is out!" the paramedic informed them. Joey's face was pale.

"This is it, Jo; push, breath, push!" he told her. Joey continued to push.

"One more push and it should do it," the paramedic said. Joey pushed as hard as she could. A few seconds later, they heard crying.

"It's a girl" the paramedic told them with a smile on his face. Joey craned her head to try and see.

"It's a girl!" Dawson said, seeing the baby. "You should see her she's so beautiful!" he said as the paramedic wrapped the baby up in the blanket and handed her to Joey. Dawson wrapped his arm around her as they looked at their screaming baby. Their daughter. Dawson smiled. He had a daughter.

A few minutes later, Dawson looked down at his watch. "Oh no."

"What?" she asked

"We're divorced," he said. Joey looked at him and they both laughed. He smiled as he kissed her cheek then bent down and kissed his daughters bald, tiny head.

Epilogue

Dawson and Joey were married a few months after their daughter was born. Being Joey's choice, they were wed in Capeside. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding, where they were surrounded my many friends and family. Pace and Audrey were there as well, Audrey holding tiny one month old Emily while Joey and Dawson exchanged vows. After the wedding, the two went back home; to Los Angeles, California where they had finally decided to live; as a family.


End file.
